Harry Potter and the War of Sorceresses
by Senya Starseeker
Summary: HP/Final Fantasy 8 x-over, takes place in an Alternate-Universe during the time of Chamber of Secrets. What if the Basilisk wasn't the only thing under Hogwarts? What if Rinoa was the DADA teacher? What if Voldemort had a more powerful alley? PLEASE R
1. Disclaimer and Author's Notes

Harry Potter . . . And the War of Sorceresses  
  
Senya Starseeker  
  
DISCLAIMER:  
  
This is Fan Fiction based on the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling as well as the subsequent movies and the Final Fantasy video game series by SQUARE Electronic Arts. Harry Potter and all related characters, places, etc. are copyright of J.K. Rowling as all Final Fantasy characters, etc. are copyright of SQUARE and their respective creators/owners. The songs 'Eyes on Me' and 'Melodies of Life' were written by Nobuo Uematsu and are used in the Final Fantasy games. Also, although this is going to be a Harry Potter/Final Fantasy VIII cross-over I may weave in a few characters from alternate Final Fantasy games, but not as main characters and not with their plot. I am in no way affiliated with J.K. Rowling, or SQUARE and make no claims on owning or creating any of the characters, items, places, or even the basic plot premises contained within this work. It is purely a labour of love. Enjoy.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
  
This is an interesting work, part of its strangeness lies in the fact that in trying to tie two of my favourite stories together I have created a new universe which is a mixture of each. The basic premise for this (soon to be series) of Harry Potter/Final Fantasy stories is that it takes place in a world much like the world from the Harry Potter books, only the familiar characters from the Final Fantasy VIII video game appear as main characters, have ties to Harry Potter characters, and bring the plot from their game with them, in short this creates a new and exciting perspective on both the Harry Potter and the Final Fantasy VIII stories. These fan fictions will begin at the start of the second Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and go from there. When you are reading it assume that everything from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has happened, but then clear your mind and just read as though it were the second book in the series. That's really all I can say, read it for yourself to gain a better understanding, and feel free to drop me a line and tell me what you think. You can reach me at twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com or, if you're reading this on ff.net, simply leave me a review. I'll try my best to reply to everyone.  
  
I AM going to be altering things from both stories as I write this (remember it is an Alternate-Reality story, so I do have quite a lot of freedom there) for instance Ellone is Laguna's daughter and Squall is Ellone's son (Laguna's grandson) in this, and Lucius Malfoy has a different wife than Narcissa-but you'll have to read it to find out who!  
  
One more thing, I had already begun the first seven chapters, but they were rough and crude (not my best work) and reading the latest Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of Pheonix has given me new ideas on the characters backgrounds and as such I have re-written those seven chapters, so if you have already read them, that's why they may seem familiar, but they have still been altered and I suggest reading them again, especially if you aren't a Harry Potter of Final Fantasy VIII fan (I just worry that you'll be confused.) I've also added a prologue to clear some things up, and some other stuff. Also, be warned, that the Disclaimer appears HERE only, it applies to all further chapters, but I will not be continuously re- posting it, it is HERE, see ABOVE. With all this said, enjoy.  
  
HEATHER, this is all for you. 


	2. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Years before the famous 'boy-who-lived' was born, before his parents, Lily and James were even born, in the generation before Lily and James parents, even, in the days of Harry Potter's great-grandparents, a great evil witch named Adel came upon the magical world. She was part giant, and as such she towered at double the height of mortal wizards and witches, with a long cape of fire-red hair and blank, iris-less red eyes. Adel became feared through the magical world as the most powerful witch of all time, but still she was hungry for more power and went to the very deepest of places and formed deals with the very darkest of wizards until she was able to achieve an ancient power, older and more forbidden then all of the magics of the magical world combined-the powers of the first witch-the SORCERESS. A witch so indestructible, so omnipotent, and so unfathomably evil she had been classified as a Sorceress. This Sorceress had lived thousands of years ago back in the days of Ancient Greece, and her name was Ultemecia. Ultemecia had never died-only disappeared for so long that over the centuries she was more or less forgotten. Adel, however, found a way of awakening her-however the result was not what she wanted, instead of being able to gain Ultemecia's godlike powers Ultemecia, who no longer had a corporeal body, possessed Adel's mind and created a new, horrible Sorceress. Adel, under Ultemecia's control, began her quest to take over the magic world, she slew the heads of the Ministry as though they were nothing, and all around she was feared and obeyed.  
  
She soon took over the entire magical world, except for a small rebellion spear headed by Albus Dumbledore, who had been young then. These few brave people were trying to find some way of overthrowing the tyrannical dictatorship of Sorceress Adel. Adel herself had taken to using the school for young witches and wizards, Hogwarts, as her home, and the children who were not dead, were her mindless slaves. Something had to be done, and thankfully two heroes arose: one was Albus Dumbledore, who started the rebellion, and the other was a young wizard named Laguna Loire, who, at only twenty-seven years of age, had heroically agreed to help Albus in his plan to overthrow the Sorceress. Laguna was a tall and friendly man who was a bit clumsy and enjoyed joking around, had long black hair, and was always a bit of prankster when he went to school. He had a wife named Raine Leonhart, and they had a young daughter named Ellone who had been kidnapped by Adel's followers because she had been born with the extremely rare ability to allow other people to see the past.  
  
Albus constructed a magical device beneath the school of Hogwarts which would imprison Adel in suspended animation for all time once they lured her into it. Laguna did this in a heroic battle against Adel with his friends, Kiros, Ward, Auron, and Albus. The battle was long and hard, Ward was injured so severely that he forever lost his ability to speak and died a few months later. Auron, a brave Auror, died in battle as did Kiros. When all was finished, Laguna and Albus returned home safely with Laguna's five year old daughter Ellone, and Adel was sealed away forever in secret beneath Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
HOWEVER, all was not well in the magical world. Many years later Laguna's daughter Ellone had a son named Squall Leonhart. Squall went to school at Hogwarts and, despite being anti-social and aloof for much of his time there, in his sixth year of school he finally began opening up more and became friends with James Potter, and James' two friends Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. When Squall and James were in their seventh and final year at Hogwarts School the unthinkable happened: although most people have never known it, for it was covered up entirely, the Sorceress Adel began stirring beneath Hogwarts. In her weakened state she could do little on her own, but Ultemecia, who was still in possession of her, was able to reach out with her mind and into the thoughts of others. Ultemecia used her powers to control a Sorceress whose powers had lain dormant as she was a kind woman named Edea Krammer who ran an orphanage for wizard children, many of whom had lost their parents during Adel's reign of terror known as the "Sorceress War." Edea became a symbol of fear and darkness, under Ultemecia's control. However, a small group of students at Hogwarts, who had a habit of breaking school rules and becoming heroes rose up against Edea the Sorceress and forced Ultemecia to abandon her hold on the woman. These students were none other than Laguna's grandson Squall, and his friends. During this time Squall grew more at ease around other people and grew to truly accept James, Sirius, Irvine and the others as his friends. He also grew to fall in love with Sirius' twin sister, Rinoa.  
  
Once Edea was freed, however, the Sorceress set her sights on freeing the powerful Adel, who would also be a suitable host for her powers. To achieve the release of Adel a sacrifice was needed so Ultemecia used her mind controlling powers to possess three students at Hogwarts, all in the Slythrin House. Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Seifer Almasy were all under Ultemecia's influence and they kidnapped a girl with exceptional magical potential, who had received Edea's Sorceress powers earlier, named who was none other than Squall's Rinoa! Seifer, Severus, and Lucius dragged her down to the school basement where Sorceress Adel was stored away in her eternal slumber. Rinoa's boyfriend Squall Leonhart, and Sirius Black, Rinoa's twin brother, both hurried to rescue her. Their friends James Potter, Lily Evans, Selphie Tilmitt, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe, and Remus Lupin accompanied them. In the end they were able to rescue Rinoa, but not without casualties. Two Slythrin students named Fujin and Rajin had been killed, and Rinoa had permanently been infused with several of Adel's powers, including immortality. She would never age again.  
  
One year later, Rinoa and Squall were married as were Lily and James. Lily and James had a beautiful baby boy named Harry Potter, but it was during dark times when a new evil wizard named Lord Voldemort was rising to power. The evil Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter, but a strange thing happened when he tried to kill their son, Harry. Voldemort suddenly lost all of his power and was reduced to a state of near-death and Harry was left alive, but with a scar shaped like a lightning bolt on his forehead. Sirius, who had been James' best friend, arrived at their house to find everyone but Harry dead, he left Harry in the care of their part-giant friend, the Hogwarts' gamekeeper, Hagrid, and went in search of Peter Pettigrew, who had betrayed the Potter's by telling Voldemort where they were.  
  
Sirius cornered Peter on a crowded street corner, but Peter killed thirteen of the non-magical muggles, and faked his own death. The magic police believed that Sirius had been the one to betray James and Lily Potter, and killed Peter Pettigrew and the muggles, and Sirius was locked away in the terrible wizard prison of Azkaban.  
  
Rinoa and Squall wanted to take care of the now orphaned Harry Potter, as Rinoa's brother Sirius had been Harry's Godfather originally, but Dumbledore advised them that it would be wiser for Harry to grow up in the care of his muggle relatives, the Dursleys.  
  
Harry was sent to live with the Dursleys, who were perfectly normal and hated all things magical with an intense loathing, and as such came to hate poor Harry as well. However, on Harry's eleventh birthday, he received a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he left the Dursleys' to make long lasting friendships in the wizarding world.  
  
Together with his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Harry was able to defeat the evil Voldemort when he attacked him again through the body of a teacher named Proffessor Quirrel.  
  
When it was time for Harry's second year at the magical castle school of Hogwarts, he could not have known what waited for him there . . . 


	3. Chapter One: The Rescue

Chapter One The Rescue  
  
"Hermione-Honey there's-there's-there's an owl flying around in your room!" Hermione Granger, top Hogwarts student and best friend to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley who had helped to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort last year at school, despite being born and raised in a muggle (non magical) household, hurried up the stair case to her bedroom where her mother was calling from. She entered her perfectly neat bedroom, brushing her long frizzy brown hair out of her face.  
  
"It's-it's carrying something-" Hermione's mother continued nervously.  
  
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, "Of course it is, mom. That's how witches and wizards communicate, remember-they send owls."  
  
"Oh right-right." Mrs. Granger said, not sounding at all relaxed by this explanation. "Well just-just get it out of here alright?" She asked, as Hermione calmly took the parcel from the owl's tiny claws.  
  
"It's only my notice that school is going to start soon and the list of supplies I'll need." Hermione explained.  
  
"Oh-okay, well, we'll go and get them tomorrow then, honey. We can go to West End Mall, they have everything-"  
  
"Uh, no, mom." Hermione said, shaking her head, "I need magic supplies, you know, you can't just buy them in a muggle shopping mall."  
  
"M-Muggle?"  
  
"Non-magic, mom."  
  
"Oh . . . I see." Mrs. Granger said uneasily, "Well . . . where do you want-where do we go then?"  
  
"We have to go to Diagon Alley." Hermione told her, as she paid the owl a bit and it flew back out the window.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Diagon Alley. I'll show you were it is. We're going to need to go to Gringotts Bank and get some money exchanged for wizard money, too."  
  
"You have your own money?" Mrs. Granger asked in disbelief, and sighed. "Well I know I'll never understand it but . . ."  
  
If Hermione thought that she was having a bad summer, she had no idea what poor Harry was going through. The fact that that he had saved the world and defeated Lord Voldemort in the past year, despite being only eleven years old, was of absolutely no concern to the Dursleys, the relatives he was forced to live with. The yelled at him, threatened him, and bossed him around, thoroughly upset that their attempts to break his spirit and squash his magic-which they found horrendous, being strictly 'normal' people-had failed miserably. They were to busy fawning over their massive whale of a son, Dudely, to really care whether he was alive or dead anyways, actually, they would probably celebrate if he was dead.  
  
So when a tiny snout-nosed, pointy-eared, wrinkly little creature appeared in Harry's bedroom one night he was very relieved to see something from the magical world. The thing told him it was House-Elf named Dobby and that Harry must NOT return to Hogwarts. Naturally, Harry ignored its advice. Even when Harry's Uncle Vernon sealed him completely in his bedroom (not for Harry's safety, just to hurt him) hope came in the form of his old friend Ron, Ron's two trouble making older twin brothers Fred and George, and a flying car that hovered outside of Harry's bedroom window until Harry climbed in. He was quite cramped in to the back, it wasn't that small of a car, but much to Harry's surprise the Weasley twins Fred and George weren't the only ones with Ron in the flying car. Indeed it was quite crowded, but there were two girls with them, they appeared to be a bit younger than Ron and Harry, Harry would have placed them at about the same age as Ginny, Ron's shy younger sister. However, they were nothing like Ginny, they were clearly tomboys with their hair chopped short and spiked up, but they were also very pretty, even in their muggle clothes, plain jeans, t-shirts, and spiked punk-ish bracelets. The two girls, like Fred and George, were identical twins.  
  
"Hey," The one on Harry's left (he was sandwiched between them) said cheerfully, "So you're Harry Potter." She scrunched up her eyes at him for a moment, then relaxed and smiled. "So what do you think of the rescue?"  
  
"Uh . . . it's great. Thanks." Said Harry dumbly, he was still in a bit of shock. "But how-"  
  
"We stole-err, borrowed this flying car from dad." Fred said, grinning from the driver's seat. "He got it from the Ministry, you know, at his job."  
  
"Oh yeah, your dad works for the Ministry of Magic, right?" Harry remembered, it was still a little hard for him to believe that the magical world had everything-including a Ministry of Magic to deal with everything from how to deal with muggles (where Mr. Weasley, a muggle lover, worked) to tracking down dangerous criminal wizards, to organizing wizard sporting events like Quidditch, a game played on broomsticks high in the air.  
  
"But who are you two?" Harry asked the girls.  
  
"Oh! I'm Nadia Kinneas!" The one on his left said.  
  
"And I'm Nafia Kinneas!" The one on his right said, smiling widely, "Our parents are friends with Fred and George's parents. We've been hanging out at their house all summer, and we're gonna go to Hogwarts with them. It's out first year!"  
  
So Harry had been right, he thought, they were the same age as Ginny Weasley, though no where near as shy or timid. These two girls appeared bold and adventurous. Harry rather liked them. Ron on the other hand, kept casting annoyed glances at the bubbly talkative girls for the rest of the ride. As the early morning sun rose, the group landed the car in front of the Weasley's small but welcoming house and everyone piled out and stretched.  
  
"Mom's gonna kill us." Ron sighed, as though just realizing that.  
  
"Yeah, but so what?" Fred said, grinning like a maniac, "She's always killing us over something!"  
  
"Yeah and besides we had to save Harry from those monster muggles!" George added confidently.  
  
When they went into the Weasley house Harry could hardly stop looking around at all of the different magical things. The Weasley's were a very large family who didn't have a lot of money, but their home, to Harry seemed like a wonderful dream, full of magical knick-knacks like self- knitting needles and a clock that told where members of the family were.  
  
At that moment Molly Weasley, the mother of the family barged in, her usually sweet and loving face was frowning, "WHERE HAVE YOU BOYS BEEN?!" She screamed angrily, "Stealing you're father's flying car! And without a licence--! I don't know what to do with you, I-" She went on for a while, yelling at them, pausing to warmly greet 'Harry dear' with a motherly smile, and went back to lecturing the boys. Then she turned to Nadia and Nafia, who were trying to slink away. "And YOU two! Honestly! I would have expected more from you! I have a half a mind to send an owl to Selphie and Irvine right this minute and tell them all about it!"  
  
"Oh mom and dad won't care about that!" Nafia said, but Nadia stepped on her foot and she yelped. Mrs. Weasley gave her a strange look.  
  
"Won't care hmm? Maybe I should just call them and see, I mean do you think you can just behave like that at Hogwarts?!"  
  
"We do!" Fred piped up, to defend the younger girls, "Besides mom we HAD to save Harry, those muggles had him all locked up like in prison!"  
Mrs. Weasley looked menacingly at her son and was about to continue her lecture, when thankfully her husband Arthur Weasley came in, he looked busy and sort of funny in his cluttered, hurried way. "Oh hi Harry," He said absently, grabbing a slice of toast from the table for breakfast. "Boys, girls, Molly." He continued, nodding in all of their directions.  
  
The rest of the morning was a hustle and bustle; it was a little amusing for Harry to watch Arthur stuck in his dilemma between wanting to leave the boys alone or siding with his wife in her lecture. Then Ginny came down the stairs for lunch, blushing shyly when she caught sight of Harry. Eventually, somehow or another they made their way to downtown London, and then to Diagon Alley for their magic school supplies. 


	4. Chapter Two: Flux at Diagon Alley

Chapter Two Flux at Diagon Alley  
  
Harry Potter, famous among the wizard world as the "boy-who-lived" and credited with felling the evil Lord Voldemort when he was only a baby and again just last year, was now very nervous about the new year at Hogwarts School of Magic. Nervous, but excited, Hogwarts was definitely the best part of his life, as his "family" the Dursleys hated him with a passion. His friend Ron Weasley, and Ron's brothers George and Fred, the school troublemakers, had rescued him from the Durselys that summer. The two boys were now in Diagon Alley, the hidden street filled with magical shops, looking for their friend Hermione Granger, she was bound to meet up with him and Ron getting while they were all getting supplies.  
  
It was only a few days before the new school year at Hogwarts and so the street of wizard shops was bustling and crowded with little witches and wizards, teenage witches and wizards, and their parents, all getting supplies for the coming semester. Even the odd muggle (non magic) parents could be spotted in the crowd (looking quite nervous and uncomfortable, as can be imagined.) That was certainly the case with Hermione Granger's parents, she was the top in her grade at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry but both of her parents were completely normal, unmagical, muggle dentists. She was so busy thinking about this that Hermione accidentally bumped into the man standing in front of her in the magic book store, and dropped her books.  
  
He was tall, and she'd guess in his early to mid-thirties, good looking for a man that old, with long wavy brown hair pulled back into a pony tail and sparkling green eyes. And oddly enough, he was wearing what looked to be a cowboy hat.  
  
"Oh excuse me."  
  
"No, excuse me, little lady." The man smiled good-naturedly and picked up her books for her.  
  
"Getting ready for your first year at Hogwarts?"  
  
"My second." She said.  
  
"Ah, my girls are just starting their first." As he said that Nafia and Nadia Kinneas walked up behind Hermione.  
  
"Dad!" They said in chorus.  
  
"See," Irvine grinned, "I bet you guys'll all be friends, right? These are my girls, Nafia and Nadia Kinneas."  
  
Hermione nodded her head politely, "Nice to meet you Nafia, Nadia, Mr. Kinneas."  
  
"Heh, just call me Irvine, little lady." He smiled, and tipped his cowboy hat to her.  
  
He was about to say something more when the door to Flourish and Blotts bookstore swung open and Harry and Ron entered, they waved to her happily and walked over to her. "Harry! Ron!" Hermione beamed.  
  
"Hey Hermione, see you met Nadia and Nafia." Ron said.  
  
"You know them?"  
  
"Yeah they stayed at my house all summer."  
  
Irvine fidgeted a little at that remark.  
  
Hermione noticed and quickly intervened by turning to Harry, "Did you pick up the new copies of A History of Magical Creatures, Heroic Witches in the 1800s, and 100 New Uses for Magic Root?"  
  
"Uh . . . those books aren't on the school requirement list." Ron said.  
  
Hermione sighed irritably, "Of course not, but they're new books and they look ever so interesting! How can you NOT buy them?"  
  
"That's Hermione alright." Harry whispered to Ron as Nafia and Nadia giggled.  
  
Abruptly, the door to the small shop swung open again, and in strode with the air of cool confidence and arrogant superiority trademarked of the Malfoy family, Lucius Malfoy and his son, Draco.  
  
Hermione knew Draco well, he went to Hogwarts and was in her grade, but he was a rich snobby jerk, and Harry's worst enemy. He and his father both wore sharp black robes, and his father had long blonde hair and silver clasps on his cloak. He looked around the small bookstore in disdain as though it were it the most damned little hovel he'd ever laid eyes upon.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't the Weasleys." He said dryly, eyeing Ron's red haired family. The Weasleys had a very large family and very little money and the Malfoys had exactly the opposite and loved to show it off. Lucius sneered at Ron's younger sister, red haired and shy Ginny, and picked her school books out of her cauldron eyeing them with distaste. "Second hand no doubt? My, my."  
  
"Back off, Malfoy." Irvine Kinneas said. They turned to look at him. He was glaring at Lucius with anger in his hazel eyes. "Leave them alone."  
  
A cold stiffness seemed to filter through the air between Lucius and the man, which even the bystanders could sense. Lucius' gaze narrowed coldly, and he dropped Ginny's books back into her cauldron. He quickly turned around, his black cape billowing out swiftly. "Come, Draco, we won't be buying your books in such a pitiful little shack."  
  
"But father-"  
  
"I said COME." Mr. Malfoy spoke with a harsh and reprimanding tone that chilled everyone in the store even though he was not speaking to them. His expression was cold and stern and he looked like a man not to cross.  
  
" . . . Y--Yes, father."  
  
Hermione looked back at the twins and their father, his green eyes were still fixed in an icy glare after Lucius Malfoy, not that the Malfoys had any shortage of enemies, being the type of people to openly hold those of not "pure" wizard blood in low regard, and even to stick up their nose at some who had no muggle family members, like the Weasleys.  
  
"That jerk." Ron muttered.  
  
"Don't let it get to you." Irvine said, shaking his head.  
  
"Yeah, thanks, Irvine." Arthur Weasley said, as he walked up and the two began to talk for a while.  
  
Soon the trio had set out for the magical train from Platform nine and three quarters to take them to another year at Hogwarts when Hermione found herself alone in the train and no sign of Harry or Ron, or even Nadia or Nafia, and she was a little annoyed that they must have gotten themselves lost or something, and sat down beside Ron's younger sister, Ginny who was heading for her first year at the school of witchcraft and wizardry.  
  
"Hi, Hermione." The younger girl said shyly. "I saw you in the bookstore."  
  
"Hey Ginny, do you know who our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be this year?" Hermione asked, no one knew yet it was a mystery. But hopefully, not someone possessed by the evil Lord Voldemort again.  
  
The younger girl quickly shook her head, "It was gonna be Gildory Lockhart, but you know, since his big scam was discovered he lost the job."  
  
"Yeah, I was really disappointed, I can't believe he used memory charms on all those poor wizards and took credit for their work." Hermione nodded, tugging a hand through her long wavy brown hair.  
  
"I know, my mom tore up all her books and pictures of him and she was, like, a HUGE Lockhart fan!" Ginny exclaimed enthusiastically.  
  
At that moment the door to the train car opened and a very pretty girl entered, she was older than Hermione, but she must have been about eighteen or nineteen, she had smooth pale skin and long dark black hair. Instead of wearing traditional wizarding robes she was wearing a long blue sleeveless coat that reached her ankles with a black shirt and a blue jean skirt. She looked around the car swiftly, and seemed to bite her bottom lip a little in worry. "No, Harry Potter's not here." She called to the other car, "I better send an owl ahead." And she disappeared again.  
  
"Wow, who was that?" Ginny asked.  
  
"I don't know, but she must be in her final year of Hogwarts." Hermione decided. "But I wonder what she's doing sending an owl ahead? And why do you suppose she was looking for Harry? Why would she care?"  
  
Ginny shrugged, "Maybe she's a Prefect like Percy." She giggled, "You know, trying to act all important like he did all summer."  
  
The two girls giggled at the memory of Ginny's older brother Percy, who had been made Head Boy of Gryffindor House and spent the summer polishing his Head Boy badge constantly as though it were some sort of obsession.  
  
When the train arrived at Hogwarts and the students filed out there was still no sign of Harry or Ron, and Hermione would have been worried if she wasn't so annoyed at them! ('I bet their going to go and get themselves in trouble on the first day!' she thought to herself.)  
  
Meanwhile, the flying car was chasing after the Hogwarts train through the skies, in the driver's seat was Ron. Nadia and Nafia were laughing, "Hee hee this is SO cool!" They cried together.  
  
"Let's just hope we don't get into to much trouble." Harry reminded them.  
  
"Don't you turn into Hermione on us!" Ron said, "We couldn't get through to Platform Nine and Three Quarters it wasn't really OUR fault!"  
  
"Whee!" Nafia giggled as the flying car took suddenly jolted and shook.  
  
"Hey that wasn't on purpose!" Ron said, looking worried, "Oh crap!"  
Suddenly the car jolted more sharply and swung to the side, Harry's door popped open and he slid out of his seat. "HELP!" He cried, hanging onto the door with his fingertips.  
  
"You didn't wear your seatbelt!" Nafia gasped as though it were some horrible crime.  
  
"Just HANG ON!" Ron screamed, trying desperately to regain control of the car.  
  
Nadia scrambled over into the front seat and pulled Harry back up.  
  
"Thanks." Harry breathed, when he turned to look at Nadia, she was smiling at him shyly.  
  
A sudden scream from Ron however, shook from his mind any thoughts Harry might have been having. "What is it?"  
  
"I don't know how to land this thing!"  
  
"WHAT?!" Nafia screamed from the back, "Then why did you decide to drive it?!"  
  
"You guys told me to!" Ron yelled angrily, "Oh my god we're gonna crash!!" 


	5. Chapter Three: Rinoa Heartilly

Chapter Three  
  
Rinoa Heartilly  
  
As it so happened, Harry and Ron crashed Ron's father's flying car into the Whomping Willow, a tree just outside of Hogwarts with a temper, it smashed the car to bits and left them trying to explain to Professor Snape, possibly the meanest teacher ever to dwell in Hogwarts (and one with a personal dislike for Harry Potter) why they had stolen a flying car, been seen by a dozen muggles, and crashed into the Whomping Willow tree outside the school. It was not going well. Somehow or another Nafia and Nadia, the twin first years had gotten out of trouble probably on a count of being first years, being girls, and looking very scared and upset.  
  
"Do you two insolent menaces have any idea how idiotic your actions were? You not only broke about a dozen laws, you endangered the lives of two first years, you hurt an ancient tree which has been on these grounds for decade . . . This is a serious offence, not only will you be expelled but I'll take it upon myself to inform the Ministry of Magic and-"  
  
At that moment the door to Snape's dark office swung open widely and a young woman with long black hair and a blue coat walked in.  
  
"What are you doing interrupting-" Snape began without looking up, then he paused for a moment, as though not believing his eyes. "You-What are you doing here?" He asked darkly.  
  
"Me?" The girl said inoccently. "I'm here to rescue these two boys." She winked cheerfully. Ron and Harry looked at each other, no one acted like this in front of Snape.  
  
He scowled at her, "Really Miss Heartilly? Is that so?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded, smiling, positively beaming, which was possibly the first time in Hogwarts History a person had ever smiled like that in the same room as Severus Snape, who was not a popular teacher by any stretch of the imagination except for among the Slytherins whom he favoured. And this girl did not strike Harry or Ron as Slytherin so they couldn't figure out why he hadn't yelled at her and ordered her to leave his office yet.  
  
"I heard what a nightmare you can be," She continued, "Really, Severus." No students called their professors by the first names; Ron and Harry glanced at each other again confused and worried.  
  
Professor Snape appeared as disconcerted and irritated as they would imagine but he was clenching one hand into a tight fist and glaring at her not giving her detention and they couldn't quite piece it together.  
  
Finally he cleared his throat, "And what right, Rinoa," He said dryly, "Do you have to barge in here and 'rescue' them, as you put it?"  
  
"The right I have given to her." An aged and wise voice said all heads turned again to the doorway where Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stood. Professor Dumbledore looked just as Harry remembered him, with a long silver beard and long white hair, a tall pointed wizard hat and a long crooked nose with half-moon spectacles, and friendly, twinkling eyes. "I have decided to make Mrs. Leonhart are new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Severus."  
  
"Mrs. Leonhart . . . ? Ah yes, I'd forgotten about that . . ." Professor Snape sighed, then his expression hardened again and he returned his icy glare to Harry and Ron, "But that still doesn't give her the right to determine their punishment."  
  
"Ah, you're right it does not, but that is the responsibility of Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House to decide, not you, Severus." Dumbledore said softly. Snape appeared quite angry at this but said nothing.  
  
"Oh you aren't going to kick them out are you, Minerva?" Their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher asked.  
  
Ron and Harry liked this teacher already. They gave McGonagall their most piteous and innocent looks and she sighed, "No, not today, my dears."  
  
Professor Snape scowled, Professor Leonhart clapped, and Dumbledore smiled his wise smile as the two boys hurried off to the Great Hall to enjoy the feast.  
  
After they had left, Snape turned his perpetual glare to the new teacher, "You are the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Rinoa?"  
  
"Dumbledore said I was most qualified." She said, pretending to be shocked and then laughing (the strict potions master was not amused) "I guess your just going to have to learn to live with me, Severus! Ahahahaha!" 


	6. Chapter Four: DADA vs Potions

Chapter Four Defense Against the Dark Arts VS Potions  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione weren't sure what they were expecting from their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher but she turned out to quickly become the most popular teacher at Hogwarts. "Now, my name is Professor Heartilly . . ."  
  
Hermione's hand shot straight up as soon as the words had left her mouth. "Are you the wife of Squall Leonhart, the Headmaster of the Balamb School for Witchcraft and Wizardry?"  
  
"Yes," Professor Heartilly smiled, "Very good. But I prefer to still go by Professor Heartilly . . ."  
  
Paravati's hand shot up, "How come you look like your, like, eighteen? How old are you?" The Slytherin girl questioned.  
  
"Excellent question. I am actually thirty two years old, but I haven't aged since I was eighteen due to contact I had with a powerful Sorceress named Adel. Adel was before the time of You-Know-Who, but she was the most powerful witch ever. She started the Sorceress Wars over thirty years ago, many were killed, and it was a dark time. Your parents probably remember it, but You-Know-Who was even worse, so we don't talk about Adel to much anymore. Anyways, I was possessed by her for a while and some of her powers, like never aging, rubbed off on me. But," She added a little disclaimer, "I wouldn't encourage any of you to go get possessed by an evil witch or wizard anytime soon." The class laughed.  
  
"But what's a Sorceress just like a really powerful witch?" Seamus asked.  
  
Rinoa thought for a moment, "Something sort of like that. No, there's more to it than simply the power. It's hard to explain . . . they're extremely rare."  
  
"But why are you teaching here, shouldn't you be at your husband's school?" Ron asked.  
  
She shrugged, "Well Squall's a real stick in the mud, it's hard to have a lot of crazy fun, like I can't remember the last time I started a food fight . . . um, wait forget I said that." She winked playfully. "Actually, Dumbledore needed someone on short notice and I volunteered. I went here when I was a kid, you know. In Gryffindor."  
  
"Now . . . are we gonna learn something today?" She smiled, "First of all, you don't need your text books, just put them away-heck throw 'em out the window!"  
  
Hermione looked like she had been mortally offended by the very suggestion of throwing a text book from the castle windows, but the other students actually did it, and soon they were all laughing and having a great time. Unfortunately for the class, they couldn't have known that Professor Snape happened to be walking along the school grounds directly below where their classroom windows were and he was suddenly bombarded by a barrage of text books.  
  
The class was having a great time when suddenly the door slammed open and a very, very, very angry looking Professor Snape stood glowering there, his eyes like lasers of ice, he looked angrier then the students had ever seen him before, even Harry and Snape always looked kind of angry. Harry and Ron gulped and glanced at one another, Snape would find some way of blaming them, and they knew it.  
  
"Mrs. Leonhart-"  
  
"That's Professor Heartilly, actu-"  
  
"Whatever, I don't care what your name is! What is the meaning of this! This is a classroom not some low brow circus! And what were your students doing throwing textbooks from the window?!" He caught site of Harry, "I bet Potter had something to do with this!"  
  
"Hey, I asked them to throw their text books out the window!" She said suddenly.  
  
"You WHAT?!" Snape sputtered, he really did look ready to kill something, "Do you have no regard for school rules, you're their teacher, by the gods woman! I assumed when Dumbledore hired you, you were going to be teaching something not-not adding to their immeasurable stupidity!"  
  
By now the class had quieted down and the students were cowering under Snape's harsh gaze. No one dared say a word . . .  
  
"Geez, lighten up, old man." The class couldn't control their laughter, Severus Snape looked like a vein in his head was going to burst, but he turned and stalked away muttering something about 'informing Dumbledore of gross incompetence . . .'  
  
Sadly, now that Defence Against the Dark Arts was so much fun it seemed like Snape made his class a hundred times harder. He tripled their homework, gave them tests he used for his fourth year students, picked on them more than normal, (poor Neville nearly died) and he even became a little nasty to the Slytherins (except for Malfoy, who managed to get through Potions classes unscathed, but then he didn't push it these days either, they could all sense Professor Snape's extremely bitter mood).  
  
It was rather unfortunate as well for Harry and his friends that though Defence was such a fun class they had it with the Slytherins and Malfoy and his stupid lackeys spent the time throwing bits of scroll and such at them when Professor Heartilly wasn't looking.  
  
One Potions class as Professor Snape trailed up and down the rows of students, eyeing them suspiciously he stopped in front of Neville Longbottom's experiment, the poor boy never got anything in Potions right, the only time he stood half a chance was with Hermione helping him and Snape was always quick to put a stop to that. "My my, Longbottom, botched it again, eh? I guess it really can't be helped a wizard of such little brain as yourself . . ."  
  
As though on cue Professor Heartilly bounded into the classroom at that moment, happier than anyone entering Snape's class ever was. The potions master looked at her in annoyance.  
  
"Heh, sorry, Sev, but-"  
  
"DON'T call me 'Sev.'" He hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
She continued as though she hadn't heard him, "But anyway, I need to borrow your class one teeny little second." Before waiting for his reply she walked right up to Hermione. "Hey, Hermione, do you know what in the heck a 'Parselmouth' is?"  
  
Hermione, of course, knew the answer just like she knew everything else, "A Parselmouth is someone with the extremely rare gift of being able to speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes."  
  
"Thanks! I knew that YOU would know! Isn't she wonderful, Professor Snape? She has to be the smartest student I've ever seen!" Hermione positively beamed at this, and Snape looked greatly annoyed since he liked to intimidate his students, not praise them.  
  
"Are you quiet done disrupting my class, Professor Heartilly?" He asked, holding back an aggravated sigh he felt coming on.  
  
"Umm . . ." She surveyed the classroom again, and saw Neville, all trembling and almost on the verge of tears with his extremely err, wrong, potion. "Ah! You have Neville in this class."  
  
"Mm, Longbottom fails spectacularly at every assignment I've ever given him, I suppose that may be some cause for exclamation." He told her dryly, now Neville was on the brink of tears.  
  
"Hm, that's not very nice. . ." Rinoa murmured, looking over the boy's shoulder at his potion which was red instead of green. "Well it's better than I ever did in potions." This made Neville feel somewhat better, "You know," She continued, stepping into dangerous waters, "I honestly don't think they EXPECT you to pass this course. I mean, first you have a subject that's the most difficult, frustrating, needlessly complicated thing on the face of the Earth-(I mean, fusion of what to a burning 3:4 ration of what?) but they also give you meanest teacher-"  
  
The class burst into gales of laughter, even the Slytherins were trying to stifle their sniggering. Snape looked even angrier than they had seen him before, but Rinoa had won the love of Hogwarts at that moment because only the Slytherins liked Snape and no one really liked the Slytherins either.  
  
"Okay, Okay, I was kidding, KIDDING!" She protested, obviously a little intimidated by his threatening and towering glare.  
  
"Miss Heartilly, are you quite through disrupting my class?" It was pretty clear he was fighting to keep self control, no doubt he wished she were a student so he could give her detention for the rest of her life, no one student or teacher had ever DARED to get so under Snape's skin.  
  
"Yeah, yeah . . ." She muttered and wandered off, Snape stood staring after her with a glare like fire for several minutes, shaking with rage, no one dared to speak or even to whisper. He looked-well, if looks could kill, his would have brought down Lord Voldemort.  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged concerned glances wondering if he was going to take out his wrath on his students. Of course he was! They had so much homework that weekend none of them expected to finish it, even Hermione looked upset.  
  
In Defence Against the Dark Arts they showed Professor Heartilly all of the work they had to do, "Wow, I am SO glad I'm not you!" She said, and then sighed, "Okay, okay, I won't give you any homework this week!" The class cheered. 


	7. Chapter Five: The Careful Art of

Chapter Five The Careful Art of Paper Aeroplanes  
  
It was well after midnight. No one was supposed to be in the halls of Hogwarts. Well, no students. Snape, Filch, Mrs. Norris, and the like prowled around to ensure no students violated their curfew. Well, the Weasley twins-famous among students and infamous among staff for their pranks-were not exactly the type to pay close attention to things like "rules" and "curfew" so they were carefully sneaking back to the Gryffindor common room, a Slytherin toilet seat in hand.  
  
"Um~ excuse me, but aren't you two supposed to be, like, asleep?" The twins froze when they saw Rinoa-Professor Heartilly to them.  
  
"Uhhhh . . . Professor."  
  
"We have a good excuse." The said putting on their most innocent faces.  
  
"Riiiigggghhht." She smirked, gesturing towards the toilet seat.  
  
"Uh-" They hid it behind their backs, a little late and put on goofy grins.  
  
"The Weasley twins innocent? Yeah, right. I wasn't born *yesterday* boys." She frowned.  
  
"Aw, come on Prof, didn't you pull a few pranks in your day?" George asked, Fred nodded.  
  
"Well . . . once me, Sirius, James and Selphie got drunk and trashed the Slytherin bathroom . . . but this is completely different!" She placed her hands on her hips indignantly. "OKAY, so no it isn't! But tell me . . . did you rig it so when they open the door the fireworks and stink pellets would go off?" She started to chuckle.  
  
Fred and George looked at each other and grinned.  
  
Just then, however, Snape stormed around the corner, black cloak billowing out and looking as menacing and glowering as he always did. The twins gulped, Professor Snape was definitely the teacher to avoid. "The Weasley twins." He sneered, obviously happy he had someone to give detention to and yell at.  
  
"Uh . . .Severus." Rinoa waved.  
  
He cursed under his breath, and felt his eyebrow twitching, there was something inherently discomforting about Rinoa and the Weasley twins in the same school.  
  
"Well, Rinoa." He said dryly, "Students are not to be out of their house common rooms after hours-"  
  
"Uh, they were serving detention with me, actually. So, uh, I take all responsibility." Rinoa said absently, waving her hand in the air as though to signal Snape to leave. This made him quite infuriated (more so).  
  
"And WHAT is the meaning of that?" He demanded, pointing at the dislodged toilet seat.  
  
The twins glanced at each other. "School project." They said in unison.  
  
"Oh really?" Snape sneered, "And I suppose it was for your class, Professor Heartilly?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," Rinoa said, "Defence Against . . . uh, haunted bathrooms. It got a bit messy. I'd stay away from the Slytherin bathrooms for a while if I were you, Severus."  
  
Professor Snape looked angry, more than angry, he looked ready to kill angry, he was about to say something more, when Professor McGonagall appeared. "You two, go back to your common room. NOW." She said without even looking at Fred and George.  
  
"Minerva these students were out-"  
  
"Severus, you are wanted in the Headmaster's office right now." McGonagall said sharply, it must have been serious, the look on her face told them as much. Severus glared at her, and then followed, forgetting about the twins.  
  
Fred and George grinned and gave each other a high five.  
  
*  
  
Rinoa walked back to her room, still grinning and shaking her head. Well, boys would be boys.  
  
She opened her old chest and rummaged around, finally yanking out a very thick old, bound book. She fell back on the floor and opened it. It was the yearbook from her last year at Hogwarts. Inside was a large full page print of a huge group of students all smiling and waving at the camera. There was she, arm looped in Squall's, elbowing him in the ribs to get him to smile! On her other side was Sirius, grinning like mad, and James and Lily hand in hand smiling and waving. Selphie and Irvine stood beside Lily and James, their arms wrapped around each other, Selphie wearing Irvine's trademark cowboy hat. Peter Pettigrew was there too, although he was pretty much in the background of the picture, and since he had been so short, he was mostly hidden. Finally her eyes fell upon the other two in the image, Remus Lupin and Quistis Trepe, standing a bit apart, with shy smiles, their eyes shyly flashing between each other and the camera. Rinoa smiled at first, then her smile faded, and she frowned at the image, shutting the book and dumping it back in the chest.  
  
It was strangely painful to look at the old image. Lily and James were both dead, Peter was dead as well and Sirius . . . Sirius had killed him, she bit her lip, she had NEVER believed that, but he was locked away in Azkaban where they didn't even allow visitors and had probably gone mad because of the dementors. Remus had all but vanished off the face of the earth, they only got an owl from him at Christmas and no one knew where he was the rest of the time. And Quistis . . . Quistis had-for reasons none of them could fathom-had gone and married that bastard Malfoy.  
  
*  
  
"Okay class!" Rinoa called, as the second years filed in, "Because I lost my lesson plan . . ." She looked around the desk again as though hoping it had reappeared. ". . . Peeves." She muttered under her breath. "Anyway, because I lost my lesson plan today will be dedicated to the ancient-and-long-practiced-muggle-originating-and-still-practiced-today- careful-art of . . . paper aeroplanes."  
  
The class looked confused, except for Hermione who frowned. Clearly making paper aeroplanes was not her ideal lesson. Oh well.  
  
"You . . . um take a piece of scroll and tear it off, here fold like this and this . . ." She showed them by making a very sloppy paper airplane. It didn't look very convincing.  
  
Luckily, Fred and George were walking by the classroom. "Hey you guys, are you supposed to be somewhere?" Rinoa called.  
  
"Nah. We got a spare." Fred shrugged.  
  
"Excellent! Can you help me with a lesson?" She asked.  
  
"Uh, gee Professor Heartilly we'd love to since you helped us out last night but, like we don't know-"  
  
"I'm teaching them how to make paper aeroplanes."  
  
"OH, that we can do!" The twins smiled mischievously and entered the classroom.  
  
"Thought you might." She smirked.  
  
Ten minutes later all of the students had made a small paper aeroplane. "These are excellent to throw around and bug muggle teachers, but we have a special spell to make them EXTRA useful." George said and Fred nodded furiously.  
  
"We've wanted to try this out on Snape for the LONGEST time." Fred added, winking. "So you guys will have to for us, you have him next, right?"  
  
The students nodded, "HEY!" Rinoa said, stamping her foot, "If you're gonna use them for stuff like that at least have the sense not to discuss it in front of me! I am a teacher too, you know!"  
  
"Aw, but you're not like the other teachers, you're cool, Prof." George said enthusiastically.  
  
"Well okay then." She grinned, "But I'm still not gonna listen to this." She turned around and put her hands over her ears in a very funny way.  
  
"Okay, here's the spell." George said seriously to the class. "You tap the plane twice with your wand and say, 'Ab absurdum!'" He demonstrated, instantly his paper airplane quivered and floated in the air on its own. "Now, when you send it off it will also play loud music and let off a trail of fireworks, best of all it will dissolve instantly when it hits the target so there's no evidence!"  
  
"Yeah!" Said Fred, "So go and try 'em out."  
  
"Alright!" Ron said happily to Harry and Hermione, "Wait until Snape gets a load full of these! That'll teach him to be such a jerk!"  
  
Hermione snorted and tossed her hair back a little. "Ugh. Honestly. Paper aeroplanes? What sort of Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson is this! It's more like-a-a-farce then a class!"  
  
"Hey! It's legit!" Ron argued, "It's defence against SNAPE!" He laughed out loud and Harry had to chuckle a bit as well.  
  
"Come on; lighten up a bit, Hermione." Harry advised, "Snape, McGonagall and all the other teachers give us tons of work and hard tests and stuff as it is, it's nice to have ONE fun class."  
  
At that minute one of the enchanted aeroplanes zoomed into the back of Ron's head, he yelped and jumped up, the Slytherins cackled. "Malfoy that jerk!" Ron cursed.  
  
"Just ignore him!" Hermione begged.  
  
"Not a chance!" Ron said, picking up his airplane and sending it straight at Malfoy's head. Malfoy, ducked and the plane hit Goyle, making a loud explosion of sparkly dust.  
  
"Now, now, Weasley." Draco said dryly, "Even being wretchedly poor is no excuse for that aim."  
  
Ron went bright red, it wasn't the first time Malfoy had insulted his family, which was very large and very poor, "You son of-"  
  
"CHILDREN!" Rinoa said, interrupting Ron, quite intentionally. "Calm down! There's no reason to get worked up! Besides, class is over."  
  
"She didn't hear what Malfoy said," Harry told Ron as they gathered up their books and scrolls.  
  
"You should tell her." Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah, run to a teacher that's your answer for EVERYTHING, Hermione." Ron said, rolling his eyes, but they could tell he was still upset over what Malfoy had said.  
  
"Okay, okay, now you two better not start fighting!" Harry groaned, "Come on, we have Potions next."  
  
*  
  
Professor Snape was having a very bad day. Last night, Dumbledore had explicitly told him to go easier on the students, evidently the Headmaster believed giving the second year students work for fourth year students and tripling the homework was somehow "wrong." He frowned as he went back over his lesson plan, he'd been forced to make it easier. Something he didn't like doing. Especially with Professor Heartilly teaching in the same building.  
  
Well, his day was about to get a lot worse.  
  
Suddenly a dozen different loud banging noises went off around his head; he looked up in time to see whizzing colours, sparks, fireworks exploding, loud blasts of music and streamers going off all around him followed by several deafening blasts as the projectiles burst into dust and smoke.  
  
Hermione and Neville glanced terrified at Harry and Ron, the other Gryffindors had actually thrown their airplanes! Naturally the Slythrins hadn't, since Snape favoured them. Said teacher wasn't facing them but the students could tell he was angry. He was shaking and his hands were clenched into fists, he looked like he was about to explode. "Who . . . WHO did that?!" He bellowed, spinning around. "POTTER!!"  
  
"I-It wasn't me." Harry said helplessly.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, it was Potter, wasn't it?" Snape sneered.  
  
"Yes sir." Malfoy answered, shooting Harry a wicked grin as soon as the Professor wasn't looking. "And Ron and Hermione too."  
  
"Of course." Professor Snape said slowly, glaring at them with absolute contempt.  
  
"Sir, he's lying!" Hermione protested.  
  
"That is QUITE enough out of you, Miss Granger! You shall ALL have detentions. And I do mean ALL, every single Gryffindor!"  
  
The class let out cries of protest. "Furthermore there shall be fifty points off Gryffindor!"  
  
"Fifty points?!" Harry and Ron exclaimed. "That's not fair!" Harry muttered to Ron.  
  
The Slytherins chuckled; they were having a great time. 


	8. Chapter Six: Suspicions and Solitude

Chapter Six Suspicions and Solitude  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the inseparable trio, sat in the great hall during lunch; Harry was talking to them in a hushed voice about things he had kept forgetting to bring up. "I didn't tell you guys yet, but, during summer vacation, this little-creature-found it's way in to my bedroom. It called itself a um, a house elf. It kept saying I shouldn't go to Hogwarts and hitting itself."  
  
"Hitting itself?"  
  
"Not come back to Hogwarts!?" Ron exclaimed, a little too loudly, half of the Gryffindor table turned their heads in his direction; he blushed, and quieted his voice. "That's ridiculous, Harry."  
  
"I don't know . . ." Hermione bit her lip, "You DO have a powerful enemy, Harry."  
  
Harry waved her concern away, but Ron suddenly said something, "You know that bookstore, where the Malfoys were?"  
  
"Flourish and Blotts, yeah . . .?"  
  
"Ginny was acting strange. We met Malfoy's dad outside you know, before he went in to get his son. He made my dad real angry," Ron said bitterly, "Looking down his nose at us and everything. And then he picked up Ginny's books and was all like, 'Second hand books, huh?'" Ron did a bad job of imitating Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"Yeah," Harry nodded, "I was there but, so what?"  
  
"Malfoys are all JERKS!"  
  
"Well . . . yeah, but so what else is new?" Harry asked.  
  
"I mean," Ron sighed, "Maybe he's in league with You-Know-Who."  
  
"Voldemort?"  
  
"Don't SAY that!"  
  
Harry just shrugged.  
  
*  
  
Snape sat in his office, fuming as he went over test papers (which meant he gave out even more F's then normal) where did Rinoa get the right to humiliate him in front of his students like that? She was completely irreverent and back talking, just like she had been when they were students, but now it was even MORE annoying since he had to work with her and not tell her off.  
  
He shook his head, she was exactly as he had remembered her, not just in appearance, which had been the initial shock when she bounded into his office on the first day, but her attitude was as immature and childish as ever too. He scowled, she made him furious, and more because he owed her a favour then even because she got under his skin. Or maybe that was part of the reason why she made him so upset. But he hated thinking back to the days when they were in school and pushed those thoughts from his mind. The Professor stood up angrily and shook his long black hair, beginning to pace his office in great displeasure.  
  
She wasn't even cut out to be a teacher! She was all buddy-buddy with her students, it wasn't dignified! And the other day when he'd come into her classroom Hermione Granger was leading the lesson and Rinoa was in a student's desk taking notes! It was a farce! She showered her students with praises and even put annoying smiley face stickers on their tests and assignments! He wondered why in the name of Merlin Dumbledore had hired her when HE was more than qualified for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position! Was it that Dumbledore didn't trust him with a job where he would be so exposed to Dark powers? Did he still think he . . . no, Severus shook his head, a chill shook him, he hated the past, he hated remembering.  
  
*  
  
Hermione lay in her bed late that night, she was tired but she couldn't sleep, she'd seemed to be having that problem quite a lot, lately. She sighed, and rolled over, watching the pale moonlight dance on the stone wall of the castle. She felt a wave of depression slide over her.  
  
It was true that she had book smarts LOTS of book smarts, the top marks in the school proved that! And teachers like Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick and now Professor Heartilly never stopped telling her how great she was, how remarkable, what an exemplary student, what a brilliant girl . . . but something inside was bothering her. Her parents, as great as they were, as loving and nurturing, were muggles. Muggles, non magic using people who were as out of place in the wizarding world as Draco Malfoy would be in a charity group. It had been embarrassing having them in Diagon Alley, picking out supplies with her, looking pale and frightened of the magical folks.  
  
She'd also learned a new word; "Mudblood" a person with "dirty blood," in other words not a "pure" witch of wizard. Someone with muggle parents, someone like her. She had spent the first ten years of her life as muggle and no matter how much she studied it would never change that. Did that mean she could never be a "true" witch, that no matter how much she tried she'd never really belong in the wizarding world?  
  
Hermione had decided when she first learned she was a witch that she would learn everything she could faster than anyone else, that she would show everyone what a witch she could be! But Harry and Ron were her only friends, and she heard the way other kids talked about her, calling her a prissy know-it-all and a teacher's pet. She felt tears stinging her eyes, and here she was, set on being a wizard but having stupid muggle thoughts like, "I wonder if my mom bought that new car she wanted, I wonder if Dad fixed the TV himself or finally took it to the shop?"  
  
"Maybe I should just go home." She whimpered, burying her face in her pillow, "But I love it here, I want to belong here, I never belonged at my old school either, I'm always the outcast! I'm not a muggle and I'm not a witch-and-and that makes me nothing at all!!" The tears fell, she always cried at night, never when Ron or Harry could see they were her only friends, she couldn't lose them, she cried and cried and cried.  
  
*  
  
Draco Malfoy sat by the fire in the Slytherin Common Room, true it was long past lights-out, but even the Slytherin Prefect didn't have the courage to argue with a Malfoy. He smirked at the thought, but kept his eyes on the fire. He enjoyed making members of his House squirm uncomfortably, knowing they feared the wrath of his father. That would one day be him. He would finally be the one to have the power.  
  
He sighed, it was getting late but he never lay down until he was sure he was tired enough to fall asleep the second his head hit the pillows. There was something about lying there in the dark he hated, (he didn't 'fear' it because Malfoys never 'feared' anything!) it felt like he was dead and alone in a dark grave but still possessed consciousness. Does conscience exist after death? He shuddered inwardly at the thought, forcing his mind back to the dancing flames.  
  
No, the worst thing about the darkness was anything; anyone could be lurking there, ready to attack. Like . . . no, he wasn't going to think about that. He wouldn't think about his own home, his own bedroom which was always dark and resentful to him. His "family" if you could call it that. His mother, who spent the long hours of the day sitting in her chair reading book after book, or sometimes just staring at a page for hours and not turning it, or else gazing off into space. She hardly talked anymore, she never sang to him anymore. She'd grown quieter as he grew older, and she was no longer able to protect him from his father. She always looked sad.  
  
And his father, his father, now Draco did shudder, his father made the entire house cringe when he walked in the door, the servants, the guests, his mother . . . he "took care of them" if that meant providing them with a castle to live in, the best clothes in the world, and any other material things they needed, as long as they were careful not to offend the family name, as long as they lived up to his expectations.  
  
What was he doing now, thinking? Hadn't he just told himself not to!? He should go to bed now, but he was tired and lay there by the fireplace all night, to tired to move, and eventually falling into some sort of sleep.  
  
*  
  
Rinoa lay sprawled across several chairs in the teacher's lounge, she'd been marking papers all night and she was exhausted and bored and she hadn't finished half of them. Hell, she wasn't a teacher. She'd never wanted to be a teacher, and she knew she wasn't cut out for the job. Quistis, now she was a teacher, she had always aspired to be one, and with the top marks in Hogwarts she had a job immediately after graduating, she didn't even half to go to Witch University. But she'd only worked for one year, and then she'd gotten married and despite all her talk about going back to work after the baby was born she never had. Maybe because she'd married a complete jerk. Rinoa didn't know, she couldn't understand, and she hadn't seen Quistis for about ten years. Her baby had been two then. He was twelve or so now. When would she see Quistis again? The others missed her two.  
  
Rinoa rolled over, this was depressing, and she decided to send an owl to her husband.  
  
Dear Squall,  
  
How is everything at Balamb School for Witchcraft and Wizardry? Are you still planning on coming up here for the Quidditch tournament? Selphie and Irvine's daughters are here, I have them in my first year class. They're nice girls and remind me of when we were young. Hogwarts is just like we remember it, still loads of fun even though teaching's hard. Severus is just like always as far as I know, but I never really knew him. I'm sure the two of you will get along fine if you come to visit, though.  
  
Dumbledore's still a great guy. McGonagall's as strict but nice as ever. Remember when we were kids she was a new teacher? Times change, huh? Oh, and Peeves is still a pain.  
  
"I am NOT!" A rather annoyed voice said over her shoulder, Rinoa tilted her head back to see the unpopular Poltergeist hovering in the air behind her.  
  
"Oh yeah, remember the time Selphie, and me got drunk, and were trying to sneak back into the school at one in the morning and you yelled for Flich at the top of your lungs?! I still haven't forgiven you for that! We were almost expelled, except that Lily and Quistis were still up and found us before Filch did, with James' invisibility cloak!"  
  
"It was for your own good." Peeves said, looking completely insincere.  
  
"Oh, buzz off!" She giggled, waving a hand at him. And went back to writing her letter.  
  
Anyway, Squall, I have Quistis' son in one of my classes, he seems to be doing okay, he looks like his mother but unfortunately he seems to have his dad's personality. Quistis married such a jerk; I know it's not my business, but really! I just hope he treats his son okay, you remember him from our visit when he was only two years old, don't you? Draco Malfoy.  
  
Lots of Love,  
  
Rinoa. 


	9. Chapter Seven: Nightmares of the Past

Chapter Seven Nightmares of the Past  
  
Rinoa gasped in her sleep and tossed over. "SQUALL!" She screamed, tossing to one side, then the other, "SQUALL!!" The nightmares were haunting her again. Until the day she died she would always remember the second Sorceress War. It had been in their last year at Hogwarts School . . .  
  
The ancient and evil Sorceress Adel had been discovered beneath Hogwarts School, imprisoned there long ago by powerful witches and wizards. She had come to some power again after a long slumber there, and using the powers of a fellow Sorceress, the even more powerful Ultemecia, she had come to possess the minds of some students at Hogwarts to help her achieve her freedom.  
  
Seifer, Lucius and Severus had all been entranced by Sorceress Ultemecia and Adel. It was fitting that they were all in Slytherin. They had released monsters from the forbidden forest on the school. The monsters had fortunately been locked into the basement of the school. But that was where Rinoa and the others were trapped. Seifer dragged Rinoa roughly over towards the Sorceress Adel, who towering above them with flaming red hair, unbelievable tall, at least twelve feet; she was probably part-giant. Adel was imprisoned in her eternal slumber by many of the greatest witches and wizards of all time, underneath the school.  
  
A few of the Slytherins who had not been possessed by the Sorceress suddenly tried to stop him. Fuujin, a girl with grey hair and a patch eye and Rajin, a strong looking young man with very dark skin, jumped between Seifer and Rinoa and Sorceress Adel.  
  
"Seifer, you can't do this, man!" Rajin shouted, "You can't sacrifice Rinoa to awaken Adel! She's gonna be killed!"  
  
Seifer ignored him, dragging Rinoa closer to the Sorceress. "Seifer, stop, you aren't like this! You aren't evil!" Rinoa begged.  
  
Squall, Irvine, Selphie, Quistis, Remus, Sirius, Zell, Lily and James, all stood frozen in horror, watching, Lucius and Severus had their wands pointed menacingly at them, and the students were unarmed and helpless. "RINOA!!" Sirius suddenly screamed, "Let her go you son of a-" He tried to force his way through Lucius and Severus, and Lucius shot him with a body- locking spell. Sirius fell to the ground, but Squall took this as his opportunity and lunged at Severus, punching him in the jaw. Severus reeled backwards and Squall grabbed his wand.  
  
"Squall . . . SAVE . . . her-save my SISTER!" Sirius struggled through his frozen jaw.  
  
Lucius spun around to attack Squall, but Zell, a young man with spiky blonde hair and a tattoo on one side of his face, leapt up and socked Lucius in the face, knocking Lucius backwards and unconscious. "Take that you bastard!" Zell shouted, kicking the unconscious Slythrin.  
  
James ran to where Lucius had fallen and grabbed his wand, tossing it to Irvine who used it to free Sirius and then guard Severus .  
  
Severus glared at Irvine angrily, "We are the Sorceress' noble knights. You insignificant worms will soon be crushed."  
  
"Shut up!" Irvine shouted. "Adel will never get her sacrifice!"  
  
But even as he spoke, Seifer had flung Rinoa within the Sorceress' frozen grasp.  
  
"RINOA!" Sirius screamed.  
  
"Brother! Squall! Help me!" Rinoa screamed, but it was to late, Adel's eyes shot open, bright red like fire. She reached one claw-like arm towards Rinoa, breaking through the magical barrier that the wizards had sealed her within.  
  
Squall ran towards her, but Seifer blocked him, pointing his wand towards Squall.  
  
Fuujin and Rajin however, stood up behind him, their wands pointed at Seifer's head. "STOP!" Fuujin commanded in her harsh voice.  
  
Seifer looked stunned. "You both-are betraying me?"  
  
"Man, you CAN'T do this!" Rajin shouted, "Squall, save the girl, ya know!"  
  
Adel had already reached Rinoa, the girl screamed as the Sorceress' long gnarled nails dug into her shoulders; blood started pouring down her arms, soaking her light blue robes. Squall ran towards Rinoa, but a sudden gust of wind blew him back and across the room. He crashed into the wall and fell to the floor.  
  
James and Lily ran to his side. "She's draining Rinoa's powers!" Lily exclaimed.  
  
"But-how? Why?" Squall gasped, struggling to stand. Long strands of dark brown hair had fallen into his eyes, and he brushed them away as he stood. The party could only watch now, as Adel had erected an invisible field barrier around herself and Rinoa. Seifer and Severus each had superior looking smirks on their face. Rinoa screamed and screamed as the Sorceress drained her energy.  
  
"She's doing it through a technique called 'junctioning.'" Quistis said, casting a healing charm on Squall, "I read about it in 'The Ancient Magic: Drawing and Junctioning.' by-"  
  
"Okay, but how do we STOP it?" Sirius interrupted.  
  
"Calm down!" Remus said, but he looked just as worried.  
  
Rinoa had stopped screaming, and now her head lolled back with a pale-empty look and Adel began to cackle evilly. Sirius screamed and ran at them, but Squall caught him, "You can't help her now! None of us can!"  
  
"There has to be a way!" James cried. "We can't just stand here and watch her die!"  
  
"Of course!" Remus said, "We just need to-to-"  
  
"My Gunblade!" Squall said suddenly, a Gunblade was a very special weapon used by a few gifted wizards and witches. It was similar to a sword and a muggle gun, put together, so that there was a long blade with a trigger at the end. Squall Leonhart was one of the few students ever at Hogwarts to be able to use one. James and Seifer were the others. James nodded his head in agreement with Squall. Seifer, Lucius and Severus had taken their Gunblades as well as their wands, but now that they had Lucius unconscious and Severus at wand point they easily retrieved them.  
  
"We can break through the invisible barrier with these!" James shouted.  
  
"NO!" Seifer roared, he caught Fuujin and Rajin off guard and used his wand to slam them into the barrier. It crackled as the two bodies struck it and vanished. Adel looked up from Rinoa and glared angrily.  
  
"You fool! You've destroyed the barrier!" She shrieked.  
  
Seifer look aghast. Then he shook his head and grinned at his Sorceress, bowing low, "Don't worry my Sorceress, I'll stop them, you won't need a magical barrier!"  
  
Squall looked ready to kill Seifer, but James stopped him, "I'LL take care of Seifer, YOU get Rinoa!"  
  
Normally, James would never have expected Squall to back away from a fight with his arch-rival Seifer Almasy, but with Rinoa in danger, Squall barely glanced at Seifer when he saw that James was handling it.  
  
James swung his Gunblade towards Seifer, his had the Gryffindor Griffin engraved on it, as did Squall's, and Seifer's had the Slythrin Snake. Seifer smirked at him, "Well, I WAS hoping to give Squall an extra scar, but I guess I could kill you FIRST, Potter."  
  
The previous year Seifer had slashed Squall across the face with his Gunblade "accidentally" during a Defence Against the Dark Arts class, leaving a long diagonal scar. Squall had repaid him with a matching scar of his own. The two had been in vicious rivalry ever since James had known them. But there was no time for bitter rivalries now.  
  
Squall leapt at Adel, and swung his Gunblade at her furiously, not holding back. The Sorceress shot him back again with a burst of magical energy. Sirius watched helplessly as his twin sister, Rinoa, and his best friends James and Squall, all fought with their lives in danger. James blocked one of Seifer's blows, and then ran towards him.  
  
Lily gasped as Seifer slammed James back, their Gunblades clashing and blue and silver sparks flying off of them. Quistis and Remus edged over to where Fuujin and Rajin lay and dragged their bodies out of the battle zone. "Oh my God . . ." Quistis gasped. "Remus-Fuujin-Fuujin is-Oh my God-Fuujin is dead."  
  
Remus looked pale and shaken, he felt Rajin's throat with a trembling hand. He gulped, unable to speak, and only shook his head at Quistis numbly. They were both dead. Two Slythrins they had been at ends with for all of their seven years at Hogwarts, now, dead.  
  
"What the HELL?!" Zell shouted suddenly, "I mean-they can't-they just CAN'T be-be-" He punched the stone wall of the castle basement with his fist, upset. "God damn it . . ."  
  
Selphie started crying suddenly, and Irvine pulled her close. "Don't worry- don't worry, baby-" He murmured, but Quistis noticed that his face looked terrified as he watched Seifer, James, Adel, Squall and Rinoa.  
  
James charged once more at Seifer, using all of his strength and knocked the blonde haired Slythrin's Gunblade out of his hands. Breathing heavily, he raised his own weapon with shaking arms and pointed the blade at Seifer's throat.  
  
Squall ran at Adel again, he was not going to give up. Something had suddenly awakened with him. The desire to save Rinoa had over come him. He could not stay there, looking at her limp form in Adel's grasp any longer, rage and hatred flooded him and he drove his Gunblade squarely through the Sorceress' chest.  
  
Adel screamed she instantly released her hold on Rinoa, who fell from her grasp limp and lifeless. Sirius was there to catch her in his arms as Squall continued to slash madly at the evil Sorceress. "Rinoa-Rinoa-wake up!" Sirius cried, shaking her in his arms.  
  
Rinoa WAS awake, but she was unable to move, her talk. She felt like she had just had everything inside of her sucked out and she was just an empty, useless shell. She could only watch and listen to the cries around her as the battle raged on.  
  
James moved Seifer closer to the others and Irvine watched him with Severus, keeping his wand pointed directly at them. "James!" Lily cried, she had tears in her eyes.  
  
"I have to help Squall!" James told her.  
  
"No!" She sobbed, smoothing back some of her boyfriend's messy dark hair that was never neat, but they both knew that he had to.  
  
"He would risk his life for me if Adel had taken you." James said solemnly, "I have to fight with him!"  
  
James ran back towards Squall and Adel, twisting his Gunblade around in his grasp and slashing Adel in the back with it, as Squall stabbed her in the front. Adel screamed, and slowly dropped to her knees, she began to flicker and vanish. Blood was pouring from her mouth and chest; she shook and screamed at them all. Suddenly a burst of multi-coloured light shot out of the Sorceress Adel and shot into Rinoa. Sirius was still cradling her in his arms. The sudden burst of light caused her body to lift into the air slightly, he watched, horrified, but she fell back into his arms, the colour returned to her face, and life in her eyes.  
  
"Sirius!" She cried, and hugged him, crying into his shoulder.  
  
"Rinoa!" He hugged her back,  
  
Adel was disappearing, she faded into ashes, and they fell to the cold rock floor, scattering a little. James sighed in relief and stumbled backwards; Lily ran up to him and hugged him furiously. Squall immediately ran to Rinoa and Sirius. Rinoa leapt out of Sirius arms and hugged Squall, she was shaking and tears were streaming down her face. Squall hugged her close.  
  
"Squall-I-I was inside of Adel. No, more than that-Ultemecia. I saw her thoughts-her desires-she-she wants to destroy the world! Compress time! Destroy everything! I saw-I saw it-"  
  
"It's all over now." Squall told her.  
  
It's all over . . .  
  
Rinoa woke up in bed at Hogwarts-now a teacher rather than a student-to the sound of Squall's voice echoing through her mind. She shuddered at the vividness of the nightmare-the memory-it had been years ago now and she still dreamed about it. She had relived that night so many times in her life . . .  
  
It HADN'T all been over then. Fuujin and Rajin were dead. Seifer, Severus and Lucius never received punishment since after Adel was killed they were released from her influence and it was determined that they hadn't been able to think for themselves while she possessed them. However, a few months later Seifer had killed himself. She had taken it hard, despite the fact that he had almost killed her; the two of them had been dating a lot in fifth year, before she met Squall.  
  
Dumbledore had told them that since Adel was gone Ultemecia would return into hiding again until a powerful enough Sorceress for her to possess came into existence again. However, for Rinoa, it had been just the beginning. She had previously received the powers of another Sorceress-an Edea, who had been a good Sorceress, also possessed by Ultemecia-and in doing so had become a Sorceress herself. A Sorceress was more powerful than an ordinary witch and in ancient times they had been persecuted even among the wizard world. Now, she also had Adel's powers cursing through her veins, including the immortality-she would never age again--with no way to rid herself of them. She was a Sorceress and she would be until her death when she would have to pass her powers on to another girl. And she would never age, some people said they wished they would never age, but not her. Everyday the world spun around further and further, her husband aged as he grew older, her friends, everyone, but she was left out, alone, cut off from the natural flow of time forever.  
  
Rinoa sighed and shook herself, crawling out of bed. It was six in the morning but there was no way she was going to be able to sleep again after that nightmare. Pulling on a long dark blue robe, Rinoa made her way out of her room and into the teacher's lounge. Looking around she sighed and poured herself a cup of coffee. Today was going to be a long day. 


	10. Chapter Eight: Mandrakes and Detentions

Chapter Eight Mandrakes and Detentions  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all assembled in the greenhouse for their Herbology class, but something was amiss. Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher was no where to be found, and they all had a pair of thick ear muffs beside their potted plants. "Where do you think Professor Sprout is?" Hermione asked worriedly, "I just saw her yesterday about my extra credit Herbology paper!"  
  
"And what are THESE for?" Ron asked, lifting up the heavy pair of earmuffs.  
  
At that moment the class room door swung open and Rinoa stumbled in with a huge stack of papers falling out of her arms. "Sorry I'm late, everyone!" She called, "But Professor Sprout gave me a looong list of instructions." She dumped the mountain of papers on to Professor Sprout's desk at the front of the classroom.  
  
"Ah, Professor Heartilly, why isn't Professor Sprout teaching us?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"Oh. That. Yes. She just had an accident. Nothing related to what you'll be doing today. You won't be handling any alarmingly dangerous psycho-plants. Just a normal day, yessirrie-"  
  
"Um, we are going to be doing something dangerous, aren't we Professor?" Ron asked.  
  
"Was it that obvious?" Rinoa sighed.  
  
"D-Dangerous. In Herbology?" Neville, not the brightest wizard ever to grace Hogwarts grounds, squeaked. He liked Herbology primarily because it was NOT a dangerous class. "P-Professor Sprout was hurt?"  
  
"Yeah." Rinoa said, waving her hand absently in the air, not noticing how pale Neville Longbottom had become. "She made the mistake of uprooting a Mandrake and she thought it was Asphodel so she wasn't wearing her protective gear."  
  
"Goodness!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly, "But the cry of Mandrake is fatal!"  
  
"Very good," Rinoa nodded, "However, it was only a baby Mandrake, so she only just fainted. Professor Sprout is recovering as we speak under the care of Nurse Pomfrey."  
  
"Whoa. Back up. One, what is a Mandrake?" Ron asked, "And two don't tell me we're going to be handling these-these plants that kill!"  
  
"Excellent questions, Ronald." Rinoa said, smiling, "Mandrakes are plants that scream when you pull them out of the ground, the cry is fatal except for when they're babies, and then it only knocks you unconscious. Their roots cure petrifaction. And yes we WILL be handling them today."  
  
Neville looked ready to faint.  
  
"But don't worry," Rinoa continued, "These special earmuffs should protect you. Well, there's your Mandrakes in those pots in front of you, just lift 'em out and plop 'em in their new homes, these bigger pots. Make sure to pack lots of dirt around them to keep them warm and stuff."  
  
"Uh . . . aren't YOU going to do one first, as like, an example?" Asked Lee.  
"Well, aha-you see-the thing-about that-is um," Rinoa fidgeted and peered over at the potted Mandrake plant on the teacher's desk. "I really- HATE-these things."  
  
"But they're very useful!" Hermione objected, "Their roots can be ground up and used to cure people who've been petrified! You said so yourself!"  
  
"Yes, that's very true." Rinoa agreed, "But how often does THAT happen?" She looked around; the class was still expecting her to provide an example. She sighed, and put on her earmuffs, the class did the same. It was a surprising amount of work, but Rinoa did manage to yank her Mandrake out of its pot, the thing looked like a hideous shrivelled up monstrosity of a baby and shrieked at her. She wanted to drop-kick it FAR away from her, but grimaced and planted it into the second pot, covering it with dirt. When she looked up, the class had begun to try uprooting their own Mandrakes, except for Neville, who had fainted, regardless of the earmuffs.  
  
*  
  
That day at lunch, Harry, Hermione, and Ron all sat around the Gryffindor table excitedly, "So when does Quidditch start again, Harry?" Ron asked, Quidditch was the most popular wizard sport, played on broomsticks far above the ground. Harry was known as one of the best Quidditch players the Gryffindor had ever had, he was a Seeker, whose job was the most important on the entire team.  
  
"It starts in a couple of days." Harry replied, "Oliver's insistent that we win this year!" Oliver Wood was the team captain.  
  
"Oh, but we have to serve our detentions tonight right?" Ron asked, "It's kinda weird how we got to wait so long before serving them, huh?"  
  
"Detentions?" Hermione inquired, looking up from her lunch.  
  
"Yeah, for the aeroplanes in Snapes class."  
  
"Oh right. I got out of it, so did the rest of the class but you two. Sorry." Hermione added.  
  
"What?!" Ron gasped, "Why'd it only us! We're practically the only ones who DIDN'T throw the darn things!"  
  
"I know, but, well, that's the way it goes I guess." Hermione shrugged, taking a drink from her goblet. "Besides, you to should be lucky you got out of detentions for that flying car charade!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Hermione sighed exasperatedly, "Do you have any idea how dangerous it was to be driving your father's flying car to Hogwarts? Can you imagine what would have happened if one of you fell out?"  
  
"Harry almost did!" Ron said, the two boys started laughing, Hermione, however did not think it was something to joke about, and she shook her head at them.  
  
"Seriously, Hermione we had NO choice!" Harry told her, "We've already told you we couldn't get through Platform Nine and Three Quarters."  
  
"Yes." She nodded slowly, "And that House Elf in your bedroom you said told you not to come to Hogwarts this year, right? Maybe it's connected somehow."  
  
Ron shrugged and popped a chocolate frog in to his mouth, "All I know is we couldn't get through, we crashed my dad's car into the Whomping Willow tree, almost got killed, and now have detention! Oh, and I broke my wand, it's held together with tape!" Ron held it up to show Hermione, indeed his wand had snapped in half, Harry hadn't noticed it before, but he grimaced at the look of it. A wizard's wand was his most valuable possession, and Harry didn't know if Ron's family would have enough money to get it properly repaired.  
  
"Well, you two have detentions and that's that." Said Hermione, ". . . Even if you don't really deserve them."  
  
"Well, I have to serve mine with Professor Heartilly so it shouldn't be too bad." Harry said. "I bet Snape is furious, he probably wanted to torture me himself. But he has a parent-teacher conference or something tonight, so Dumbledore assigned us different supervisors."  
  
"Heartilly?" Ron asked, "Man, you're lucky, I got stuck with boring old Professor Binns, the ghost history teacher!" He groaned. "It's gonna be the most boring hour of my life!"  
  
"At least we don't have to serve detention with Snape!" Harry said.  
  
"Oh yeah," Ron nodded, "To true!"  
  
*  
  
That night, Harry sat in Rinoa's office, waiting to serve his detention, and waiting, and waiting. Finally the door swung open but it wasn't Rinoa, it was Snape. "Potter! What are you doing here?" The professor scowled angrily.  
  
"Waiting to serve me detention, Sir." Harry replied truthfully.  
  
". . . I see. Well where is Professor Heartilly?"  
  
"I don't know Sir, I've been waiting for half an hour."  
  
Snape's frown deepened, "Very well, I'll tell her you're here when I find her." He stormed off angrily.  
  
A short while later, the door opened a second time and Rinoa came in, "Oh my! I am SO sorry, Harry. I totally forgot about you're detention. I was just talking with Hagrid," She shook her head, "Never mind, hey, have you been sitting here the whole time?" He nodded. "Well then I guess we'll call it even okay, you can go and I'll tell McGonagall you served you're detention."  
  
"Thanks, Professor!" Harry said, standing up. "Um, can I ask why Professor Snape was looking for you?"  
  
"Ha ha. You want to know everything, don't worry I don't mind, but you're just like your father." Rinoa said, smiling.  
  
"My father? You knew my father?" Harry asked.  
  
"Of course, we went to school together." Rinoa nodded, "You look exactly like him, you know. Messy hair, glasses, and all!" She laughed a little, but then her expression turned sad and she sat down behind her desk. "I was friends with your mum and dad, back when we were in school. Harry I'm so sorry about what happened-"  
  
"No, its okay, I mean you couldn't have stopped it, right?" Harry said, "But could you-do you think you could tell me about my parents a little?" He asked hopefully.  
  
Rinoa looked surprised, "Sure, I guess so. Well, you're dad was quite the troublemaker back in our day!" She grinned, "He was my brother's best friend, and they were always sneaking around the school in James' invisibility cloak and pulling pranks and stuff. A lot of them were on Sev- Professor Snape you see, so he kind of has a grudge against you. Those were the good times . . ."  
  
Harry laughed, picturing his dad playing practical jokes on Professor Snape.  
  
"Oh yeah, I have something here." She pulled open one of the drawers in her desk and lifted out an old Hogwarts year books, she handed it to Harry, "That was from our last year at Hogwarts, you can have it."  
  
"A-Are you sure?!" Harry asked.  
  
"Don't mention it." Rinoa smiled, "It's too sad for me to look through, see if you can get some happiness from it."  
  
"Th-Thank you, Professor!" Harry beamed, taking the old, hardcover book in his hands, he left the classroom.  
  
On his way back to the Gryffindor Common Room, however, the good night was going to turn bad. He heard a voice, it was slithery and thick, it sort of hissed by his ear, Harry turned around but there was no one else in the hallways. The voice almost seemed to be coming from the walls. Harry shuddered. 


	11. Chapter Nine: Yearbook

Chapter Nine Yearbook  
  
When Harry reached his room he was careful not to wake up Ron, Ron was like a brother to him, but even so, he wanted to take a look through the yearbook in privacy first. He opened the cover and it was flooded with signatures. There were plenty from witches and wizards he had never even heard of, and his parents.  
  
The signatures were something like this:  
  
"Hey, Rinoa, can you BELIEVE it's our LAST year?! I am, like, SO psyched!!" -Selphie Tilmitt  
  
"Geez, Rinoa, I'd have gone out with you in a SECOND. Squall better no how lucky he is! Oh, shoot, don't let Selphie see this, okay?"-Irvine Kinneas  
  
"We're graduating!! YEAH-BABY!!" -Zell Dincht  
  
"Best wishes." (in very sloppy handwriting) -Peter Pettigrew  
  
"Your friend," -Remus Lupin  
  
"After everything that's happened this year I just--! I wish you and Squall all the best, good luck getting him to open up more." -Quistis Trepe  
  
"I'm signing too!!"-Sirius Black  
  
"You and Squall aren't moving to Balamb Garden, are you? With you guys gone I won't have anyone to talk to after this year!"-Xu Hatfeather  
  
"Can you believe this year? It's been CRAZY! I'm just glad all of us our OK."-Nida Rankfield  
  
"Yo, Rinoa, what's gonna happen to the Forest Owls and the Marauders after we all graduate?!"-Zone and Watts  
  
"Why do I have to sign this . . . ? Whatever."-Squall Leonhart  
  
And his parents' signatures:  
  
"Hey Rinoa, what's up? We have to get together even after we graduate, alright? And what about the Final Graduation Ball? It's only a few months away! You're going with Squall, right? You guys have got to double date with me and James!" -Lily Evans  
  
"All our hard work has paid off! I wonder were we'll be seven years from NOW, it will be interesting, won't it?" -James Potter  
  
Harry felt his eyes moisten, because of Voldemort, his father never got to find out what his life would be like. They would have been such a perfect family, too. And he wouldn't have had to live with the horrible Dursleys. Slowly, he turned the page.  
  
There were the basic pages filled with pictures upon pictures of every student at the school, most of them he'd never seen before and had no idea who they were, but Harry did come across his mother and father. Rinoa hadn't been kidding when she'd said he looked like his father, James Potter looked even more like his son in these old photographs then in the ones Hagrid had given him. He could also pick out some other people, like Lucius Malfoy, who had a smirk on his face VERY much like Draco's, and Severus Snape, who looked skinny and pale, with greasy black hair, he STILL had a dark scowl on his face, even in his old school picture.  
  
Turning the page, Harry came to a picture of the school's Quidditch teams. The players were all zooming back and forth and waving at the camera, since they were wizard photographs they were really moving, of course. Harry instantly spotted his father, tearing through the air on a broomstick wearing the Gryffindor colours. James went up to the edge of the photograph, waved, then turned around and sped off again, back into the game.  
  
Harry couldn't help laughing with joy as he went through the old year book, page after page of his parents as senior students, laughing with friends, having a great time. Rinoa was in a lot of pictures with his parents as well, looking exactly the same as she did then (which was sort of strange to look at). There were also many other people. There was a girl with short brown hair that curled up at the ends who was always smiling and jumping around energetically in the photographs. He learned that her name was Selphie Tilmitt. The man who was usually standing beside Selphie had long brown hair in a ponytail, and his name was Irvine Kinneas. There was also a Zell Dincht, a young man with spiky blonde hair and a confident look, Remus Lupin, who was always standing beside a very pretty girl with shimmery blonde hair and blue eyes, named Quistis Trepe, and a short chubby boy named Peter Pettigrew. Standing beside his father in one picture was a boy with messy dark brown hair, a diagonal scar running down the length of his face on a diagonal, and a very serious look on his face, named Squall Leonhart. On the other side of James, however, was a young man who reminded Harry of Rinoa, he had long black hair tied back in a loose ponytail and a wide, exuberant grin on his face. All three of them were waving to the camera.  
  
It was a very happy hour, Harry Potter spent, alone in his room, carefully going through each page of his parent's Hogwarts Yearbook. Then he came to the back of the book and it suddenly took on a darker tone. There were a few pages of all grey, black and white sombre pictures of what looked like a funeral procession and the people in the photographs were all crying. The writing on the pages said:  
We at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry share in the grief of losing two of our dear students, both Slytherins in their seventh year at Hogwarts, Fujin and Rajin.  
  
(It showed a photograph of a girl with short hair and a patch eye, standing beside a boy. Both were looking proud and wearing the Slythrin crest on their school robes.)  
  
This unfortunate tragedy is the result of the terrible times we have endured, hopefully the end of the horror. We will honour James Potter, Squall Leonhart, Sirius Black, Rinoa Heartilly, Lily Evans, Quistis Trepe, Remus Lupin, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, and Selphie Tilmitt for defeating the Sorceress Adel, it could not have been done without tragedy, and we will grieve. . .  
  
It went on like that, Harry stared at the page in disbelief, his parents and their friends had defeated an evil Sorceress? At Hogwarts?! Why hadn't he ever heard about it from Hagrid the part-giant school groundskeeper and his parent's old friend, or from Dumbledore?! Or even Professor Heartilly, after all it DID mention her name in the article. And what was the 'Sorceress' thing all about? Harry didn't know, but he was going to find out! 


	12. Chapter Ten: Insults and Comfort

Chapter Ten Insults and Comfort  
  
Outside the classes two groups of students who did NOT get along where converging and the results would probably be violent spells or words as usual. The school's rich kid snob Draco Malfoy and his two "goons" Crabbe and Goyle strolled confidently towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione who stood discussing the day's events and Harry's return to his favourite wizard sport, Quidditch.  
  
"Guess what, Potter." Malfoy began in his usual drawl, "I'M the Seeker for the Slythrin team!" He smirked superciliously at Harry and his friends, the Seeker was the most important player on a Quidditch team and Harry was the Seeker for the Gryffindor team.  
  
"What you?!" Ron gasped.  
  
Malfoy began his usual taunts about how poor Ron's family was and how dead Harry's family was and Hermione felt herself getting angrier and angrier, "Well at least he's on his team because of talent not because his Daddy bought his way on!"  
  
Malfoy looked like he'd just bitten into a sour fruit, his eyes flashed furiously. A crowd of students was gathering around them and waiting for his comeback. "What would YOU know, Granger, you stupid little Mudblood?! No matter how much you study and brown nose you'll never be a good wizard with your mudblood!" He snapped at her, the crowd gasped shocked, Harry didn't understand but it had obviously been a very big insult because Hermione's eyes filled with tears and he'd NEVER seen her cry, she was a tough girl and she'd helped them defeat Lord Voldemort never once seeming scared of anything other than expulsion. Suddenly, she spun around and ran back inside the school, no one could see her face, but it was clear she was crying.  
  
"You son of a-" Ron shouted furiously, he pulled out his wand, but it had been broken when he and Harry had crashed his father's flying car into the Whomping Willow tree. He shot a slug eating spell at Malfoy only it backfired and he ended up puking up slugs as the Slytherins laughed and laughed.  
  
Harry helped Ron to the nurse's and then went to search for Hermione. He found her back in the Gryffindor common room, lying on the couch face down and crying. He wasn't sure what to do, so he went to her quietly and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hermione . . .?"  
  
"I'm fine! Leave me alone!"  
  
"What did Malfoy say to you, exactly?" Asked Harry, confused.  
  
"Nothing!" She sat up, wiping her eyes, "It doesn't matter."  
  
"Maybe we should . . . um, go pay Hagrid a visit?" Harry suggested, trying to think of something to lift her spirits.  
  
In a few moments they had crossed the grounds to the small shack where Hagrid lived, to their surprise when they went in he was talking happily with their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Rinoa Heartilly. Most people were afraid of Hagrid and his huge and often dangerous "pets" such as three headed dogs and dragons, but Rinoa was petting his big dog, Fang and looked really happy. There was also another dog Harry and Hermione didn't know and Hagrid was beaming while imparting all of his knowledge on dangerous beasts to her.  
  
He looked up and saw Harry and his smiled widened, "Hi Harry, 'Ermione! What a nice serprise! I was jes' talkin' to your new teacher, Professor 'Eartilly 'ere and I reckon she's a darn good teacher for yuh guys!"  
  
Harry and Hermione politely greeted Professor Heartilly. "Hey, hey, no need to be so polite around me, save that stuff for pricks like Snape, kay?" They both laughed out loud, this was a cool teacher. "So do you two like MY dog, this is Angelo." The other dog, a large and beautiful wolfish looking dog barked and greeted them, wagging its tail.  
  
"Ain't he a beaut'?" Hagrid added. Suddenly his smile faded, "Eh, Hermione, yuh' don' look so happy there, what's wrong."  
  
"I-It's nothing, Hagrid." She said softly, but her eyes had filled with tears again.  
". . . Hargid, Malfoy said something to her." Harry explained.  
  
"Eh, Malfoy!" Hagrid snorted.  
  
"I'm . . . I'm not quiet sure what he said, but . . ."  
  
"He said-he called me a mudblood." Hermione said shakily, "It's not a polite term, it's an insult, it means 'dirty blood' for someone who has muggle parents, someone who's not a pure witch or wizard, someone like me."  
  
"Now listen here!" Hagrid bellowed, "The Malfoys are arrogant lil' pricks, they don' have a spell you can't do, Hermione!"  
  
"That's right!" Rinoa said quickly, "Don't you listen to that Draco Malfoy, you're the best student I've ever seen, and in fact I'm a bit scared you know more than me and both my parents were magical!"  
  
Hermione smiled a bit at this.  
  
"And also, look at this way, Hermione, you have the best of BOTH worlds now because you already know all about being a muggle and you're so smart you'll know everything about being a witch in no time and you'll be able to shift through both worlds seamlessly and be an even BETTER witch then those without your advantage!"  
  
Hermione thought about what Professor Heartilly had told her for the rest of the day and she began to feel better, she didn't think about what that jerk, Malfoy had said to her anymore, why should she be ashamed of where she came from and who her parents were, they were muggles but they were family!  
  
"Hermione!" Harry interrupted her thoughts, "I wanted to tell you and Ron about something earlier, but I never had a chance." He had the yearbook in his hands and he quickly told Ron and Hermione what he knew about the two students being killed at the school when his parents were in their seventh year and the mysterious thing called "The Sorceress War." 


	13. Chapter Eleven: The War of Sorceresses

Chapter Eleven The War of Sorceresses  
  
"Of course!" Hermione gasped, taking the old yearbook from Harry and leafing through it, "Your parents went to school during the time of the Revival of the Sorceress Wars, you know . . . we don't hear much about it these days, I think most of it was pretty covered up, and, well, it's hard to find information on it."  
  
"But you know about it?" Harry asked incredulously, "I'd never even heard of it!"  
  
"Me neither!" Ron agreed.  
  
"Well, yes, as I said people don't really like talking about it and even I don't know too much . . ." Hermione told them, biting her lower lip in contemplative thought for a moment. The three students crossed the Gryffindor common room, which was luckily abandoned and quiet, and dropped down into the comfortable fire-side arm-chairs. "Here's what I know: There was this really powerful Sorceress named Edea, around the time our parents went to school, well, she was defeated but then an even more powerful Sorceress named Adel took her place. There was a battle or something right here in Hogwarts-like I said it's nearly impossible to find the details- anyway, somehow she was pushed back as well and no one talks about it anymore. I heard that Adel used her powers to brainwash a group of Slythrins into trying to murder a girl, but I don't know for sure . . ."  
  
"We have to do some research or something!" Ron piped up, watching Harry's concerned expression.  
  
Hermione sighed, "I doubt we would find much mostly the books only have rumours, theories, nothing really concrete."  
  
". . . We need to ask Professor Heartilly." Harry said finally.  
  
"What? Harry-" Hermione began.  
  
"I want to know about this!" Harry insisted, "It was something big! It happened to my parents. Heartilly was there, she's in the yearbook and it says right here that her and my parents were the ones who defeated Sorceress Adel!"  
  
"What?" Hermione asked in disbelief.  
  
"Right here!" Harry repeated, shoving the book under her nose.  
  
"My goodness . . . Harry, I'll be honest with you I've read a bunch of books that mention this thing but none of them-none of them state who exactly defeated the sorceress or anything of the like! This must have come out before the big cover-up thing happened."  
  
"Come on; tell me you don't want to find out more!" Harry pressed.  
  
"Alright, alright I do!" Hermione admitted, "But still, bugging a teacher . . ."  
  
"Heartilly won't mind." Ron said.  
  
With that the group of Gryffindors made their way back through Hogwarts school halls until they came to Professor Heartilly's office. It was empty, so the three went in on their own. On the desk was a photograph of Professor Heartilly standing beside a man with shaggy brown hair who had a long diagonal scar across his face, he was wearing a leather jacket and black jeans, Harry and the others recognized him from the old yearbook. "That must be Squall Leonhart." Harry said.  
  
"Of course it is! I learned all about him in Magic Schools in Modern Times by G. Scott Tranger." Hermione said proudly, "He founded the Balamb School for Aurors, you can go there after you graduate from Hogwarts if you want to study to become an auror."  
  
"Yeah you said something like that on the first day of classes . . ." Ron said. "An auror, huh, man that's cool . . ."  
  
Harry agreed, aurors were dark wizard catchers, and it had been the only job he'd ever really considered after Hogwarts. "He's in a lot of pictures with my dad and this other guy with long black hair . . ." Harry said, "I wonder if they were friends or something?"  
  
"They were." A voice said behind them, the three jumped and turned to see Professor Heartilly standing in the doorway to her office, her hands on her hips and her head tilted a little to one side. "Good friends. But what are you three doing here?"  
  
"Ah . . . we-we wanted to ask you something . . ." Harry began a little nervously.  
  
"If it's a bad time-" Hermione added quickly.  
  
Professor Heartilly sighed and shook her head, brushing a few strands of rich black hair from her face as she crossed the room and plopped into her chair at the desk. "No, never mind. Just got out of a meeting, Snape went on forever about why potions should get more funding. Bleh." She made a face, Hermione, Harry and Ron all relaxed a little, and sat down in the chairs in front of her desk. "Now what can I do for you guys?"  
  
"Well . . . it's just . . ." Harry didn't quite know how to ask what he wanted.  
  
"We want you to tell us about . . ." Hermione said for him, "The Sorceress Wars."  
  
Rinoa's dark eyebrows shot up in surprise for a second, and she moved her gaze along the three students, before sighing again, and leaning back in her chair. ". . . You really want to know about all that?"  
  
"My parents were here." Harry said firmly, "They went through it-I-I want to know what they did."  
  
Rinoa studied his face for a moment, "Very well, I suppose you do have a right to know. Okay, a long time ago a very powerful, very evil sorceress named Adel was sealed away beneath Hogwarts by Dumbledore and my husband's grandfather, Laguna. When your parents and I were in our final year at Hogwarts, however, something started to go wrong with the seal, of course, none of knew that Adel was being imprisoned beneath the school-but weird things began happening. Since Adel still couldn't break out of her physical imprisonment she had to rely on her mental powers. She possessed the mind of a sorceress who was a nice lady, she ran an orphanage."  
  
"Was that Edea?" Hermione asked. "I've never read that she was nice."  
  
"Yeah," Rinoa nodded, "A lot of people feared and hated her, but she was really being possessed. Your parents, me and Squall, and some of our friends-we-we weren't much for following school rules, we always found trouble, or else, it found us." Harry and Ron exchanged smirks. "Anyway, it lead to a confrontation between all of us and Edea, we managed to force Adel's mind out of Edea's but Adel was still imprisoned under Hogwarts." Rinoa paused for breath, "She was still imprisoned under Hogwarts, and she used her powers to reach into the minds of some Slythrin seven years. Slythrin's minds were already corrupt and greedy, easy for her worm into, I guess. Anyway, three of them were possessed, and two just kind of tagged along-"  
  
Harry thought of Draco and his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"Anyway, they needed a sacrifice of a Sorceress to free the Sorceress. I had recently received Edea's sorceress power when we battled her."  
  
"You can do that?" Ron asked.  
  
"Of course!" Said Hermione, "To die in peace a Sorceress must pass on her powers, right?"  
  
"Right." Rinoa nodded, "And even though we freed Edea from being possessed, she was so weak that she died and passed all of her powers to me."  
  
"But she wasn't-it want . . ." Ron stuttered.  
  
Rinoa nodded gravely, "I know, it was the stress of having had her mind possessed for so long, and then having that possessor ripped out suddenly, she couldn't take it, I'm afraid. Anyways, as I was saying the Slythrins needed a sacrifice and I was it. They kidnapped me and were going to execute me when Squall, James, Lily, Selphie . . . everyone came and saved me." She looked at them, "That's about it."  
  
"But-but where in Hogwarts was this place?" Hermione asked, "You said she was sealed away under the school . . ."  
  
Rinoa looked uncomfortable, "You know I really don't want to get into details . . ."  
  
The three exchanged looks, their teacher was looking tired and they figured it was time to leave, they had learned a lot. Hermione and Ron left first, but Harry lingered back a little while, he wanted to ask one more thing.  
  
"Professor Heartilly . . .?"  
  
"Mm . . . yeah?"  
  
". . . . If my dad had so many great friends and all . . . how come I ended up living with the Dursley's?" He asked.  
  
". . . Don't you like your aunt and uncle?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"NO!" Harry said, a little louder than he'd actually meant to.  
  
Rinoa only looked mildly surprised, "Well Harry, don't think for a minute that there weren't a lot of people who were ready and willing to take care of you . . ."  
  
In her head she thought: one's in Azkaban, one's disappeared, one's dead, one's . . .  
  
"But things just . . . everything went to hell after You-Know-Who . . ." And Harry knew that she meant Voldemort's reign of terror, "Of course Squall and I volunteered, and Selphie and Irvine did too, but Dumbledore said it would be wiser for you to live with your mum's sister Petunia Dursley."  
  
"What why?" Harry asked, but before Rinoa could respond the door to her office swung open and Professor Snape, Harry's most hated teacher, thundered in. He nearly tripped over Harry, and paused for a moment to stare at the boy before deciding to ignore him completely, and turned to Rinoa, glowering down at her darkly.  
  
"Hey Sev, everything OK?" Professor Heartilly asked.  
  
Snape glared down at her, "I will thank you not to call me 'Sev,'" Professor Snape said icily, "And no everything is not, as you would callously put it 'OK.'"  
  
Harry took this as his cue to exit, even though he was curious to hear more, Professor Heartilly cast him a glance that told him to leave.  
  
He slipped out of her office, closing the door softly behind him, and then pressed his ear against the old door to listen.  
  
Snape's voice was raspy and heated with anger. "We need to talk!"  
  
"About what?" Rinoa replied carelessly.  
  
"HEY!" A voice interrupted Harry's concentration and he back away from the door, looking slightly embarrassed. The Nafia and Nadia twin girls were standing there cheerily.  
  
"Uh . . . hi." He replied. Than thought of something, "Hey wait, your parents are Selphie and Irvine Kinneas, right?" He asked, remembering the Yearbook, all of these people suddenly seemed very much like old friends.  
  
"That's right." The girls nodded.  
  
"So you must know Professor Heartilly, then right?" Harry asked.  
  
"Rinoa? Yeah sure, we've known her ever since we were born." Nafia told him.  
"We live in Balamb with Rinoa and Squall anyway," Nadia added, "But there's no witchcraft schools there 'cept for Squall's Auror school and we're too young for that, you need your NEWTs first."  
  
Of course, the NEWTs, or Needlessly Exhausting Wizard Tests, which were taken by all students in their seventh and final year at Hogwarts.  
  
"I wonder if I'll get to meet Squall sometime?" Harry asked off- handedly. He had to admit, Rinoa's husband had his interest, not only was he an old friend of Harry's father, but he was an auror which also got Harry's immediate respect.  
  
"Probably, we think he'll be coming to visit Hogwarts for the Quidditch games." Nafia told him, smiling excitedly and bouncing back on the balls of her feet, "He used to play for the Gryffindor team, with our parents, and oh, your dad, too, Harry."  
  
Harry's eyes widened further, by the time he returned to the Gryffindor Common Room he was so interested in meeting his parent's old friends that he forgot all about the mysterious conference between Snape and Rinoa. 


	14. Chapter Twelve: Writing on the Wall

Chapter Twelve Writing on the Wall  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the Gryffindor Common Room talking with Nafia and Nadia about Rinoa and Squall Leonhart, not to mention Selphie and Irvine Kinneas who had also had big part in dealing with the Sorceress Wars. "Oh! And we can't forget about Zell!"  
  
"Zell?" Harry and Ron asked in unison.  
  
Hermione perked her eyebrows, "That's a funny name."  
  
Nafia and Nadia exchanged glances and giggled, "Yeah, well he was also friends with the others, right? He's an auror now, same as Squall, Selphie, and Irvine."  
  
"He's got like really spiky hair and a tattoo on the side of his face like this-" Nadia drew some lines in the air with her hand.  
  
"Uncle Zell's really um-energetic." Nafia said.  
  
"Hyper." Nadia corrected.  
  
"He was never that great at magic either, he likes to um, tackle dark wizards."  
  
"Tackle?" Ron repeated, "You mean like, muggle-style fighting?"  
  
They nodded, "Yep, well that's nothing, Irvine's got this weirdest fascination with muggle weapons-what-do-you-call-them . . .guns! He has a whole collection of them." "Really? He's not part muggle is he?" Harry asked.  
  
They shrugged, "Could be, he grew up in a wizard orphanage though, with Selphie, Irvine and Squall."  
  
"They were all orphans?" Hermione asked, "How terrible . . ." Then she remembered that Harry was also an orphan and stopped abruptly.  
  
Nafia and Nadia also glanced at Harry before nodding, "Squall's the only who even knows who his parents were . . . he even remembers his mum, Ellone, a little bit . . . but she died when he was really young. That's why he was always-"  
  
Nafia's sister elbowed her in the ribs. "Come off it, sis! We can't talk about them so much; it's not-y'know . . ."  
  
Nafia only rolled her eyes, "Whatever. You'll get to meet Squall soon enough, at the Quidditch matches." She added to Harry, "Rinoa just told me she got a letter from him this morning, and he is coming."  
  
"Cool!" Said Ron.  
  
Harry didn't say anything; it was true that he was very curious about meeting Squall Leonhart. His thoughts lingered on that for a while, before he stood up, "Well, I think I'm gonna go down to the Great Hall and get something to eat, I'm starved." He told the others.  
  
"I'll come with!" Ron said, jumping up, "C'mon Hermione."  
  
"You boys know we aren't supposed to go in there this time of day." Hermione told them, scrunching up her nose in a disapproving fashion.  
  
"Aw, come on." Ron pressed, "We're hungry, it's late, so what! It wouldn't be the biggest rule we've ever broken."  
  
Nafia and Nadia giggled, "Yeah, you should go, Hermione, we'll come along too."  
  
Finally Hermione consented and the group of five students began to sneak down the Hogwarts hallway when suddenly Harry felt that he heard the same sickening slithering voice he had heard before ringing close to his ears. He spun around but there was no one anywhere close to them. ". . . You okay, Harry?" Nadia asked.  
  
"Uh . . . yeah, yeah I'm fine." Harry said coolly, he didn't want to bother them with his strange voices. He might tell Ron and Hermione later, but not . . .  
  
A scream interrupted his thoughts, it was Nafia, and she stood stock-still, pointing one trembling finger to the wall opposite them. Harry and the others stared; their hearts instantly seemed to freeze in their chests. There, written on the hall at Hogwarts School in thick sweeping lines of blood, blood which was deep and dark and red, blood which slid in thin streams over the rough rocky wall to pools on the floor below . . . written up in blood on the Hogwarts school wall was 'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED, ENEMIES OF THE HEIR . . . BEWARE . . .' and hanging from a bloody hook by the tail was Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris.  
  
Harry and the others gasped, Hermione and Ron began to back away, but Harry moved closer, as though entranced, he reached out to touch the still cat when suddenly the sound of many feet swarming the halls made him stop and turn. Students and staff flooded down each side of the hallway, stopping and staring in horror at the grotesque scene and Harry, Hermione, Ron, Nafia, and Nadia standing right in the middle of it.  
  
Filch was the first to approach them, when he saw poor Mrs. Norris he must have passed through a hundred emotions within a minute. First there was shock, then horror and sadness, then a raging anger that even scared Harry Potter. Filch rounded on him, "You did this, you killed Mrs. Norris, I'll KILL YOU!" Filch screamed, moving towards Harry.  
  
"Stop, enough." Came a calm voice, just in time. Professor Dumbledore steadily walked towards the scene, he surveyed it all evenly, only his eyes, showed a tinge of sorrow. Nevertheless, he spoke briskly, "Mrs. Norris has merely been petrified, Filch, she is not dead. The Herbology class's Mandrakes will be fully grown in a few months' time, and then we will be able to make a potion to cure her."  
  
Filch did not seem quite satisfied, but he backed down. The crowd was beginning to murmur, Dumbledore quickly told everyone to return to their common rooms however, he stopped Harry and his friends. Harry felt his heart sinking; surely Dumbledore would know that they hadn't done this?  
  
Professor Heartilly kept glancing nervously at the writing on the wall, and then at the petrified cat and Dumbledore. Harry also thought he saw Snape whisper something to her, and she turned to him and shook her head, and said something back, but he couldn't hear them. She turned to Dumbledore, "Headmaster, they're just children,"  
  
"It was a child who opened the chamber before." Snape hissed.  
  
Dumbledore raised a hand to silence him, but already Hermione gasped, "It's been opened before?"  
  
Snape appeared disconcerted but said nothing more. "Do not worry, Harry, everyone at my school is innocent until proven guilty." Dumbledore assured him, "You five are free to go." Harry thought that he could distinctly feel Professor Snape's scowl of disapproval on the back of his head as they headed away back towards the Gryffindor Common room.  
  
". . . You know, I'm not very hungry any more." Said Nadia in a weak voice. 


	15. Chapter Thirteen: The Chamber of Secrets

Chapter Thirteen The Chamber of Secrets  
  
"What do you suppose the writing on the wall last night meant by 'the Chamber of Secrets has been opened . . . enemies of the heir beware?'" Ron asked Harry and Hermione over the bustle of moving students in the Great Hall.  
  
Malfoy, who had evidently overheard them, sneered, "It means, Weasley, that the heir of Slythrin is going to take back the school on all your filthy little mudblood friends are as good as dead."  
  
"Back off, Malfoy!" Nadia and Nafia said defiantly.  
  
"Or what? I'm not afraid of two little girls!" Draco shot at them.  
  
"Yeah, and we're not afraid of a pampered little rich kid!" Nadia shouted.  
  
Things could have gotten really ugly, but Professor Heartilly, who was on lunch duty, strode over to their table, and interrupted them. "Malfoy what are you doing over here?" She asked.  
  
". . . Nothing." He grumbled reluctantly, and turned back to his Slythrin table, leaving the Gryffindors glaring angrily after him.  
  
Rinoa sighed, "You guys should all be friends, y'know this house thing is-"  
  
"Friends?!" Ron cried, "With that?! Ha!"  
  
Rinoa frowned, "I'm serious."  
  
"Oh! Professor!" Hermione asked suddenly, "Can you tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?"  
  
Rinoa paused; she frowned even more as she looked down at Hermione, Ron, Harry, and the twins. As she was pausing, the Weasley twins sauntered over as well, and took seats at the Gryffindor table. "What's up?" They asked, eyeing the teacher.  
  
"We want to know about the chamber!" Nafia informed Fred.  
  
"Cool!" Agreed Fred, "C'mon, Prof, tell us!"  
  
"Yeah, you can tell us!" George encouraged, "Honest."  
  
Rinoa still looked concerned, "It isn't that simple you guys . . . this is serious." Now the entire Great Hall was as silent as it would have been for one of Dumbledore's speeches. The Slythin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw tables had all stopped talking and were listening as closely as the Gryffindors.  
  
"Okay . . . it goes like this . . . Like a thousand years ago Hogwarts was founded by four wizards, right? Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slythrin, as we all know. Well those first three they got along alright, but Slythrin, he was . . . different. He only wanted um . . . 'pure-blood' wizards and witches to get into Hogwarts, when the other three wouldn't agree to this, he left. But when he left he claimed that he had a secret chamber somewhere in the school and that one day when his heir returned to the school it would be opened again." She took a breath; the entire school was hanging on to her every word. "They say a-they say a monster lives there that only he can control . . ."  
  
At that moment, McGonagall and Snape both strode into the Great Hall to find it utterly quiet; the students who should have been talking loudly and eating were in a stunned stupor. They guessed what had happened. "Rinoa you didn't . . ." McGonagall began.  
  
"Of course she did the girl's a walking catastrophe!" Snape snapped irritably.  
  
"You'll only worry them." The transfiguration teacher said in a low voice, but the Hall was so quiet now that they could all hear anyways.  
  
"We have a right to know." Dean Thomas said softly.  
  
McGonagall looked at him for a moment, and he blushed and turned away, but to everyone's surprise she nodded a little, and her eyes were deep and sad with thought. ". . . Everyone, naturally the school has been searched hundreds of times . . . this chamber does not exist . . ." But she sounded less than sure, and if Professor McGonagall was worried . . . well, that was the scariest thing Harry and the others could imagine, especially Hermione who gave Harry a seriously worried look.  
  
Within the next few moments, Professor Heartilly left with McGonagall and Snape and the Great Hall resumed some of its usual talk. Harry turned to the others. "Well, do you guys think this is true?"  
  
"Of course it's true!" Hermione squeaked, "Look at how worried McGonagall is!"  
"But who's the heir of Slythrin?" Fred asked.  
  
Nafia cocked her head to the side, "I dunno . . . uh, MALFOY, maybe?"  
  
They might have laughed, if it wasn't so serious.  
  
"Yeah he sure has a grudge against mudbloods, alright." Ron agreed, "And his whole family is the evil rich snotty type. I wouldn't be surprised if it was him!"  
  
It was at that moment when Harry noticed Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley, who was sitting at their table, looking particularly frightened by this message, although the Weasley's were pure-blood wizards, so he didn't know why . . . Harry moved to say something, but at that minute, Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch sports team ran up to their table. "Harry!" He said, "I want you and Fred and George on the field and ready to practice! Our first game is in a week!"  
  
Harry had nearly forgotten, and they were playing against Slythrin.  
  
*  
  
Rinoa cast an aggravated look at Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall. "They do have a right to know, you know."  
  
"You'll only scare them, my dear . . ." Minerva said in a comforting and grandmotherly voice. "The last thing we need right now is a panic . . ."  
  
Severus, on the other hand, was quite less consoling, "This is great just GREAT! We have a catastrophe on our hands and you go and tell the students! The STUDENTS! Possibly the thickest creatures on the face of the earth-"  
  
"I think they can handle the truth-" Rinoa said, but he utterly ignored her.  
  
"I bet the Daily Prophet will have a field day with this too! Just wait for it to leak out, especially with that little nitwit Colin Creevey running around taking pictures of everything like a madman!"  
  
"Hey, c'mon he's only a first year!" Rinoa said, "And even for you, Professor," She said with sarcasm, "I don't think that's a very nice thing to say."  
  
Severus glared at her indignantly, "Where do you get the idea that you can just-" "Oh come off it!" Rinoa stomped her foot on the ground and placed her hands squarely on her hips. "We're practically the same age, you know! We went to school together! You have no seniority over me; even if it doesn't look like it, so don't you try any of that 'I'm all superior' stuff with me, buddy!"  
  
Severus appeared quite taken aback by being called 'buddy' but quickly recovered, and in his snide tone, replied airily, "Well, then Professor Heartilly," He administered the title with as much sarcasm as she had, "We shall simply have to wait and see where exactly your reckless trust in dim- witted students lands this school, shan't we?"  
  
"Indeed!" She replied and they both went off their separate ways in a huff.  
  
Professor Sprout, who had just entered the teacher's lounge looked slightly flabbergasted at the mild outburst between Snape and Heartilly, she turned to McGonagall for some sort of an explanation.  
  
"Oh dear . . ." Professor Minerva McGonagall sighed, raising one hand to the side of her face in thought, "I'm afraid Severus never has forgiven Rinoa, you see."  
  
"Well-what on earth did she do?" Professor Sprout asked.  
  
"She danced with him." 


	16. Chapter Fourteen: Squall Leonhart

Chapter Fourteen  
Squall Leonhart  
  
The week seemed to fly by and before Harry knew it, it was the day before the match between the Gryffindor and Slythrin Quidditch teams. The students were busy whispering excitedly-but not only because of the coming match, it was well known that Professor Heartilly's husband, the Auror Squall Leonhart would be visiting the school soon. Sure enough, when Harry went down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room the morning of the day before the match Hermione and Ron were talking excitedly with Nafia and Nadia while Neville, Seamus and Dean all watched them excitedly.  
  
"THE Squall Leonhart is coming here?!" Lavender shrieked excitedly.  
  
"Yes." Hermione said, rolling her eyes, "For the hundredth time. He isn't that famous you know . . ."  
  
"Whatever you say, I was brought up on stories of his bravery and it's in the Daily Prophet all the time about how he's catching more and more dark wizards. I think he's cool." Lavender sighed dreamily.  
  
"Yeah, he's only, what, twenty years to old for you?" Ron asked, "Give or take a few?"  
  
Some of the girls glared at him in annoyance, but that ended when Professor McGonagall entered, "Now students, as rumours have been flying around since last week I thought it best to inform you that yes, Auror Squall Leonhart is going to be staying at Hogwarts for a few weeks to visit his wife, he's down in the Great Hall talking with the teachers now, and it would be best if you didn't all run up to him shrieking for autographs . . . he's quite . . . anti-social."  
  
After she left groups of students began hurriedly to file out of the common room but Harry and the others sat back, Nafia smiled at them from across the table, "Don't worry, we'll introduce you guys after everything's settled down a bit."  
  
So it was that about an hour later (it was Sunday so they had no classes anyways) Nadia and Nafia decided they had waited long enough (and Ron was complaining that he was hungry) so the five of them hurried down to the Great Hall. Several students still hung around eating breakfast, and there was a bit of a crowd remaining at the end of the staff table, but after Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the girls had eaten their breakfast that too cleared away and the children approached the table rather nervously.  
  
Sitting beside Professor Heartilly at the end of the staff table was a man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, his hair was as messy and dark as from the old yearbook photographs, falling into his cold grey eyes, but it was also a bit longer, it reached his shoulders now. Squall Leonhart was wearing black robes, and still had the long diagonal scar across his face. His mouth was pressed into a tight frown, despite Rinoa sitting beside him and talking excitedly into his ear in a cheerful way.  
  
"You know I hate being displayed like this, Rinoa . . ." He was saying when Nafia and Nadia approached ahead of Harry and his friends.  
  
"Oh, hello girls." Squall said rather unemotionally. Then, because Rinoa prodded him in the chest with her elbow he added, "I trust you're having a satisfactory year at Hogwarts?" His wife rolled her eyes.  
  
Squall was beginning to remind Harry a bit of the potions master, but instead of being mean and sarcastic he was just stoic and detached. "This is Harry," Nafia was saying, "Harry Potter."  
  
Squall's attention seemed to perk up slightly at this, and Harry could see him tracing his forehead for the thin outline of the small lightning-shaped scar left from Voldemort's attack. "Harry Potter . . . James' boy, yes, I see." Was all he said however.  
  
"And this Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley." Nadia added, to which Squall said nothing.  
  
"You remember Molly and Arthur Weasley from the Christmas party at Selphie and Irvine's place that was what, uh, maybe four years ago?" Rinoa asked Squall.  
  
The rest of their 'meeting' with Squall Leonhart carried on in much the same way, with Rinoa doing much of the talking and Squall sitting impassively, sometimes casting a fleeting glance over Harry and his scar.  
  
Later, after the kids had left the Great Hall, Rinoa hung her arm around her husband's shoulders and shook her head, smiling down at him bemusedly "Would it kill you to be a little nicer?" She chuckled.  
  
"What do you mean?" Squall asked, "I was nice."  
  
"Well yes, I suppose for you, you were nice." She replied.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Squall asked, looking up at her through one eye.  
She giggled, and fell down on his lap, "Come on loosen up a bit. That was James and Lily's son, after all, doesn't he look like his father?"  
  
Squall nodded silently, then after a moment, added, "I hope he doesn't have his father's knack for getting into trouble."  
  
"Why do you say that? We got into our fair share of-"  
  
"Rinoa this is serious. If the Chamber of Secrets has been opened again . . . well."  
  
"You think I don't know that?" She asked, suddenly turning serious as well. "Squall I, of all people, understand the gravity of this situation . . . but . . . come on . . . do you really think that after all these years . . . ?"  
  
Squall shook his head, his eyes were serious and he avoided her gaze. "I think anything might be possible . . . we should be on guard."  
  
They stood up together and left the Great Hall, heading down the great castle hallways, towards Rinoa's room. "It's just like it was when we were students here, isn't it?" She whispered. "Dumbledore . . . McGonagall . . . Flitwick . . . Hagrid . . . everyone's still here too. It makes you really glad to be back . . . y'know, Squall, I've often missed this place."  
  
"If you're feeling nostalgic . . ."  
  
"I'm okay." Rinoa smiled, "It just pains me to think that a monster might be tormenting the people here . . ."  
  
"The Basilisk isn't my foremost concern if the Chamber is indeed opened, you know." Squall said softly.  
  
". . . Yeah . . . I know." Rinoa whispered. They stopped at her room and went inside. Suddenly bits of music seemed to be floating in through the walls. "Oh they must be playing music in the Gryffindor Common Room again this weekend . . . it's right through this wall." She said, pointing.  
  
Squall said nothing; he bore his 'what-do-you-expect-me-to-say?' face. Rinoa suddenly spun around and laughed, "Listen! Oh my goodness! Squall this is it! This is the song we danced to on our Triwizard Ball!" She gasped.  
  
"Darling, so there you are  
With that look on your face  
As if you're never hurt  
As if you're never down  
Shall I be the one for you?  
Who pinches you softly but sure?  
If frown is shown then  
I will know that you are no dreamer . . ."  
  
The voice sang faintly through the wall. "Yes! Yes it is!" Rinoa continued, jumping up and clapping her hands. "Do you remember that ball, Squall? In our sixth year, it was the first time you really approached me, or rather, I approached you for a dance, and this song started to play? Remember, I was wearing my white dress?"  
  
Squall gazed at her for a moment, than smiled softly, "How could I possibly forget?" He took her hand, leading her to the centre of the floor. Rinoa smiled and they began to dance.  
  
So" "So let me come to you  
Close as I wanted to be  
Close enough for me  
To feel your heart beating fast  
And stay there as I whisper  
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me  
Did you ever know  
That I had mine on you?"  
  
"We played it again at our wedding . . ." Rinoa remembered dreamily as she and Squall moved gracefully across the floor, it was like walking over clouds.  
  
"Afterwards, I begged you to put on that white dress again. . ."  
  
"I know!" Rinoa giggled quietly. "I still have it you know . . . I'll never grow out of it . . ." It was supposed to have been a happy remark but somehow, it sounded a little sad.  
  
Squall looked down at her as they danced without speaking. At first, it seemed one of the only good things about her taking on the Sorceress Adel's powers-never aging, but after years . . . he looked down at his tiny and beautiful wife, who looked like she was eighteen. People who didn't know their story often gave them strange looks, after all, he looked fifteen years to old for her.  
  
"Darling, so share with me  
Your love if you have enough  
Your tears if you're holding back  
Or pain if that's what it is  
How can I let you know  
I'm more than the dress and the voice  
Just reach me out then  
You will know that you're not dreaming."  
  
"Squall we both-we all know that something big is coming. And-and it looks sort of like-this might be the beginning-"  
  
"No, it began last year with the Philosopher's stone and Quirrel. Remember what Dumbledore told us: Harry saw Voldemort."  
  
Rinoa drew a sharp intake of breath at the mention of the name, Squall had never been one to pay attention to such nonsense as fear of a name, but it still gave her a rush of cold fear to hear it. He seemed to notice, and regret saying the Dark Lord's name because the song had faded away and he carefully helped her sit down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Rinoa I-I didn't mean-I only meant to say that-"  
  
"I-I know Squall, you were perfectly right, of course." Rinoa smiled shakily, "I only wanted to tell you that in case in the coming years we- don't-all-y'know . . . oh Squall I don't want to lose you!" Rinoa cried suddenly, flinging her arms around him.  
  
Squall was quite taken aback for a moment, then he got a hold of himself and patted her on the back gently, "It is quite likely that some of us will die." He said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh you're terrible sometimes! You know that?" Rinoa said, "We've already lost-so-so much-James, Lily, Si-Si-Sirius!" She cried, "And Peter, Seifer, the Longbottoms, oh I don't know how much more I could take! I keep worrying, in the end, who's going to be there? When I start to think like that . . . I-I . . ."  
  
"It's okay . . ." Squall said comfortingly, holding her in his arms for a few more moments while she cried, "I love you Rinoa . . . remember . . . the promise?"  
  
She sniffed a little, and fiddled with the silver ring on the chain around her neck, which bore the same engraved griffin as Squall's Gunblade. ". . . I do." 


	17. Chapter Fifteen: Quidditch

Chapter Fifteen Losing  
  
Quidditch was the most popular sport in the history of the wizard world. It was a game played on broomsticks high above an arena and involved two teams and several floating hoops in the air. Harry was his team's seeker, the most important person, if he found the tiny little golden snitch and caught it, the game would be over and Gryffindor would win. He mounted his broom, and saw the Slythrins mounting theirs. With a light kick of his feet he was off the ground and soaring above the air and into the sky, the rush and the feeling of weightlessness were the sensations he craved and found only in the air tearing through the sky on his broom.  
  
The Slythrin's served first, with a mighty wack of the bludger several Gryffindors ducked or swerved out of the way, the Slythrins shot forwards, Harry weaved expertly in and out among the players, even with the Slythrins repeated attempts to knock him from his broom.  
  
Up in the stands, Lucius Malfoy was sitting next to Professor Severus Snape in the Slythin end. He smirked down with a smug look on the children playing. His boy Draco would win, he had better.  
  
Harry dodged a swiftly moving bludger, but it swerved back and came straight for him again, he continued to weave in and out among players and even the rafters of the stadium and the goal posts but nothing would shake it. On the ground spectators watched this with mixed emotions, the Slythrins laughed, Hagrid looked terrified, "That's a rouge bludger that is!"  
  
"I think you're right, Hagrid!" Rinoa said, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck up high.  
  
"I'll stop it!" Ron cried, pulling out his still broken wand, but Hermione stopped him. "It's too dangerous . . ." She muttered.  
  
"How can he keep dodging that thing?" Rinoa asked in awe, "The kids gotta be some kinda prodigy or somethin'."  
  
"Yeah." Hagrid said gruffly, "But still it ain't right! Whoever's behind this 'as gotta pay big time!"  
  
In the stands, Lucius Malfoy was watching the game with great interest, his thin golden eyebrows perked at the Potter boy who did a fine job of dodging the rouge bludger, he wondered fleetingly if it had been his Draco who bewitched it, it better not have been, it was to crude, not elegant enough for Malfoy hexing. Although he did enjoy watching his son taunt the famous Harry Potter, the two suddenly dove sharply towards the ground, the crowd around him gasped, and Lucius peered forwards in his seat, though his expression betrayed no hint whatsoever to his emotions.  
  
A few moments later the two boys vanished beneath the stadium rafters, the rogue bludger following them, the spectators could hear it crashing through the entire stadium as the foundations trembled. Suddenly the two burst out, Lucius scowled as his own son's broom clumsily stuck on one of the rafters and sent Draco spinning head long on to the ground. His blonde haired son lay there in a daze for a few moments, struggled to sit up, but fell back, exhausted. Lucius's lips pressed into a tight, thin, frown of disapproval. What an insult to the family name the boy was, letting that Potter boy win, what a weakling . . . a disgrace.  
  
On the ground, the others ran over with concern to where Harry had landed, having also tumbled off of his broom in grabbing the Snitch and winning the game. The bludger, however, had not given up; it soared into the air and crashed down around Harry threateningly. Hermione pointed her wand at the bludger, "Expelliarmus!" She shouted and it burst apart, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Rinoa ran up to him, "Oh my god I think your arm is broken." She gasped.  
  
"It hurts." Harry admitted, "Well, er, let me try to fix it . . ."  
  
She didn't seem very convinced. This worried Harry. Sure enough, he ended up in the Infirmary with Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, all of the bones in his arm removed by Rinoa. ("I'm so sorry!")  
  
As Harry lay in his bed, he could hear Madam Pomfrey shooing Malfoy out of the other bed. "Stop your bellyaching you're fine!" She insisted.  
  
Draco Malfoy reluctantly pulled himself out of the comfortable infirmary bed. He really did not want to face his father, he knew that he would be furious with him for losing, even angrier that it had been to the Gryffindors and finally, Draco would really be in for it on account of losing to Potter. Draco Malfoy sighed as he dragged his feet to the empty locker rooms-which he knew would be empty by now-except for his father, of course.  
  
Lucius Malfoy's face was pulled into a tight smirk as he glared down at his own son with icy and flashing eyes. "You lost." He said, swiftly striking Draco in the side of the head with his black walking stick.  
  
Draco's head stung for a minute, it felt as though his head were going to split in two, but he refused stubbornly to show pain in front of his father. "You humiliated me." Lucius continued, striking him again, "You weak, worthless, disgrace of a son! Think of my reputation what will the neighbours think?!" He struck Draco for about every word he said then. Finally, Draco's head spinning so much he thought with a feeling of dread that he might lose it and fall over, Lucius stopped as though contemplating something very carefully and decided not to hit his son any more at the moment. "This won't do . . . this won't do at all. . ." Lucius continued saying, "I want you home for the Christmas holidays, boy that should give me the time I need to make this really sink in." He glared down at his son. Draco winced mentally, but forced himself to remain impassive and calm on the outside. "Is that understood?"  
  
"Yes . . . father." Draco forced himself to say through pursed lips. He could already feel a bit of warm blood sliding down the side of his face.  
  
". . . Clean yourself up before class." Lucius said, as though it needed pointing out, "And you've got blood on your robes, I'll send you new ones." It wasn't out of kindness, of course, Malfoy's son simply could not be seen in dirtied robes.  
  
Draco forced himself back to class an hour later, his head was numb and still ringing, and he felt a new and even stronger hatred for Potter, if it wasn't for Potter than he would have gotten the snitch and won the game and then everything would have been . . . different. He wasn't sure how, exactly, but it would have been. He hated, he absolutely abhorred and loathed with every drop of his being that lousy Potter. . . 


	18. Chapter Sixteen: No Longer Safe

Chapter Sixteen No Longer Safe  
  
"Where's Harry?" Squall asked, eyeing Rinoa after the Quidditch match.  
  
"Er . . . the hospital." She said in a small voice.  
  
"The hospital?" Squall repeated incredulously. "I thought he just fell of his broom . . ."  
  
"Yeah well, I tried to fix his broken arm!" Rinoa admitted laughing nervously.  
  
Squall shook his head, unable to help a small smirk cross his lips, "Rinoa, I love you, but you're terrible at first aid spells."  
  
She shook her head at him, "I know, I know . . . But still, what did you think of the match, a pretty good one, eh?"  
  
"Yeah." Squall admitted, pulling Rinoa into a hug. "That Harry's sure got talent, just like James. Draco wasn't bad either, though, a bit of a surprise since I can't remember Quistis ever being that good at Quidditch, or even, caring about it, really. I suppose he gets that from his father."  
  
"His father." Rinoa wrinkled her nose, "Quidditch talent isn't the only thing he got from the Malfoy in his blood-he's also got his dad's stuck up personality."  
  
"Why did Quistis ever marry that git anyways? I thought for sure she and Remus-"  
  
Rinoa shrugged, "You're guess is as good as mine. I wasn't even invited to the wedding, being the 'disgrace to my pure-blood wizard name' as I am from marrying a mudblood." She winked.  
  
This would have been an insult coming from anyone else, but Squall knew she said adoringly and he kissed her. "Well, that wasn't Quistis' fault though, was it, I mean her parents organized the entire thing. Bastards they were, too. I wouldn't be surprise if-"  
  
At that minute a sudden scream jolted them from each other's arms, "That came from the hall!" Rinoa shouted, and the two ran out to wear Professor McGonagall, and the Headmaster Dumbledore was standing over the body of a student.  
  
The girl lay motionless on the ground, her eyes wide and blank. "Nafia!" Squall said, quickly racing to her.  
  
"No!" Rinoa cried, clapping a hand over her mouth in terror.  
  
Dumbledore had a worried expression in his sagacious eyes. "She has been petrified. I have already called for Madam Pomfrey . . . she should be alright everyone . . ." But he still appeared worried.  
  
"Sir, what happened?" Squall asked.  
  
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, gazing into the distance sadly, "It seems to be as we'd most feared . . ."  
  
Harry lay in his bed in the infirmary, re-growing the bones in his arm was painful. Suddenly he heard the bodiless voice again, only it was not alone, he thought he heard a woman's voice, it was deep and raspy. Now the two voices were talking with each other, Harry's head pounded, why was hearing voices? Why were they talking to each other? To him? Why couldn't anyone else hear them? What did it all mean?  
  
Suddenly there was a thump at the end of his bed and Harry sat bolt up, but it was only Dobby, the house elf. "Dobby, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, relieved and annoyed at the same time.  
  
"Harry Potter must leave Hogwarts!" Dobby insisted, "It is no longer safe here. That is why Dobby tried to stop Harry Potter from getting on the train . . ."  
  
"What? That was you?" Harry demanded furiously.  
  
"Then Dobby thought his bludger . . ."  
  
"Your bludger? Dobby!" Harry cried, struggling to sit up with his arm in the sling. "I just might strangle you!"  
  
"Dobby is used to death threats, sir. He gets them five times a day from his family. The wizard family he is bound to serve until he is freed by his master, if his master presents him clothes." Dobby said this so piteously Harry had to feel a bit sorry for him. "History must not repeat itself. Harry must leave." Dobby then began to hit himself in the head again.  
  
Suddenly voices and footsteps entered the infirmary; Harry fell back on the bed as Dobby disappeared. Dumbledore, Pomfrey and group of teachers were carrying in a student who was petrified. Harry opened one eye a tiny bit to see who it was and let out a gasp of surprise when he recognized it as Nafia Kinneas. Luckily, the teachers were to busy talking amongst themselves to hear him, or notice that he was now staring wide eyed at the petrified girl.  
  
"Does this mean the Chamber of Secrets has been opened . . .?" Rinoa asked nervously.  
  
"Of course it does!" Squall said before Dumbledore answered.  
  
"But what will we tell the students and the staff?" McGonagall asked.  
  
"The truth . . ." Dumbledore said softly, "That Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is no longer safe. For it appears to be that the Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened again." 


	19. Chapter Seventeen: The Trouble with Part...

Chapter Seventeen The Trouble with Partners  
  
None of the teachers were talking much about Chamber, they preferred to ignore students questions, even Nadia, who was slightly hysterical since she found out her twin sister had been petrified. Ron, Hermione and Harry all trudged along to Defence Against the Dark Arts to find Rinoa in an overly cheerful sort-of mood. "Ahem. Class. Because of certain . . . circumstances." She was choosing her words carefully; evidently the other teachers had been on her case again about frightening the students.  
  
Back in said teacher's class, all was going reasonably well and after a few uneasy minutes the entire class was laughing and smiling, well except the Slytherins, and even some of them couldn't resist Rinoa's charming personality. "So, does anyone know . . . how to deal with Pixies? . . . Okay, anyone besides Hermione? Geez, you're to smart, you know that, if everyone was like you I'd be out of a job!" Hermione blushed deeply, "Now everyone it may come as a shock, but someone has actually managed to TIE with Hermione Granger for top mark in the class on your Sea Serpent projects." Everyone looked around, wondering who it was. "Draco Malfoy! Good job!"  
  
Malfoy looked his usual smug self, everyone else was shocked.  
  
"Now, on a different note, for our next major assignment we'll be going out into the Forbidden Forest in pairs and your job will be to find your way back to the school while escaping the dangers of the Forest using all the stuff you know."  
  
"I-I-Isn't that a little d-d-dangerous?" Neville asked shakily.  
  
She nodded, "But don't worry, Neville, each of the teams will have four people plus one teacher supervisor to help ONLY if you get into something really nasty. We can only do this once 'cause the other teachers are kinda inconvenienced having to come supervise and all so it's worth A LOT."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other and smiled, they were always in the same team.  
  
"Now . . . as a twist of sorts." She smiled evilly. "I'LL be choosing your teams."  
  
Several students paled, "W-Why?"  
  
"Because," She answered, "In the real world you won't always find yourself working with the witches and wizards of your choice. You may find yourself in a life threatening situation with your worst enemy and the two of you will have to know how to put your differences aside and work together to survive!"  
  
"What's the matter Weasley, can't handle it?" Malfoy whispered snidely, "Because you only have two friends in the whole class?"  
  
Ron went red and lost control, jumping out of his seat, just stopping himself from lunging at Malfoy. "Calm down!" Rinoa said, "Now here will be the groups . . . Lavender, Ron, Harry, and Paravati."  
  
"Eww . . . I have to be with Weasley and Potter?" Paravati, the snobby Slytherin girl said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.  
  
Harry and Ron looked at Hermione and wondered who she would be paired up with.  
  
"And the other groups will be, Neville, Crabbe, Goyle, and Seamus. And Dean, Lee, Hermione and Draco!"  
  
Hermione and Draco looked at one another in complete horror. "Professor Heartilly!" They both said at the same time, but she only turned her back to them and didn't respond. "Now we're doing it today, so get in your groups, grab your wands, and follow me! You can leave your scrolls and things here, this is a practical test."  
  
Grudgingly the students set out after Rinoa down the hall and out into the bright sunshine, they crossed the grounds to Hagrid's shack where he was obviously waiting for them. "Now class, Hagrid knows these woods better than anyone, so he'll be around to help you out if your team really gets into trouble send up red flares from your wand and he'll be able to come help. Now, McGonagall has graciously agreed to take Neville's team, Sprout will be with . . ." She continued naming teachers until she got down to Harry's team, then she paused, "You guys will have Squall as a supervisor. I've already checked with Dumbledore and he says it's fine as long as he's only there to supervise."  
  
Hermione raised her hand, "Who's going to be our supervisor?"  
  
"Oh that'll be me." Professor Heartilly said brightly, "Alright everyone, you have an hour to go through the woods and find the magic stones I've set up, you grab your stone and make your way back, okay?"  
  
The groups moved nervously into the forest. They hadn't gotten in very far when they were attacked by something, Hermione wasn't sure what at first, but amid the confusion of the boys' screams she thought she could make out the shape of a giant spider, it scurried past them however, and disappeared into a group of bushes. "Wh-what the hell was that thing?!" Hermione heard Malfoy screaming. "When my father hears I've been forced to come out into these barbaric woods with all these monstrous creatures-"  
"I'm sure he'll be eager to know about how capable you were when it came to fending them off." Rinoa concluded, Malfoy glared at her furiously but said nothing.  
  
Suddenly a loud roar shook the ground, Dean fell to his knees and Malfoy looked around with large frightened eyes like a cornered mouse. Suddenly a large beast tore through the bushes and leapt in front of them, it was as big as a mini-van and the beast bore a huge red mane, long gruesome horns and had rows of pointed teeth.  
  
"A behemoth?!" Rinoa gasped, "They were supposed to be further in the forest! Stand back children, you don't know how to-" But before she could finish the monster gave another deafening roar and charged at her, it knocked Rinoa to the side. Dean and Lee rushed to help her but Malfoy took off straight in the opposite direction while it was distracted.  
  
"HEY!" Hermione screamed after him, "Are you stupid you can't just run into there alone!" She chased after him but he ran really fast, soon the wood became a blur around them and the behemoth's roars died out. By the time Malfoy finally stopped from exhaustion they were in a completely different area and Hermione had no idea how to get back.  
  
"What are you doing following me, mudblood?!" Demanded Malfoy angrily.  
"Trying to save your neck you stupid git, though I'm starting to wonder why." Hermione replied through clenched teeth. "Do you have any idea where in the woods we are or how to get back?"  
  
*  
  
Rinoa rolled to the ground, the beast roared, Lee ran up behind it, then realized that they hadn't learned any spells that would work against something like that, the beast turned on him giving Rinoa a chance to jump to her feet, she pulled out her wand, "CONJUNCTIVITIS!" She screamed and the behemoth screamed in fury and swung a claw at Lee but missed widely.  
  
"She's blinded it!" Dean shouted.  
  
"Confundus!" Rinoa chanted, the behemoth began to waver around then run around in a small circle as though it had no clue who it was supposed to be attacking. "STUPEFY!" Rinoa yelled, a bolt shot out of her wand and struck the behemoth squarely in the jaw, it fell backwards and the impact of its massive body hitting the ground caused the ground to shake. "Jeez Hagrid what do you keep in this forest?! Next thing you know they'll be ruby dragons . . ."  
  
"Wh-what was that?" Dean asked.  
  
"A behemoth, very high level and dangerous monsters, you should always try to avoid those you hear me, along with ruby dragons and T- Rexaurs those are some of the most dangerous monsters in the world . . ."  
  
"M-most . . . in the . . . I dunno I was expecting pixies or something." Lee said.  
  
"Is anyone hurt, where are Draco and Hermione?" Rinoa asked looking around.  
  
"I think Malfoy ran off and Hermione was trying to stop him." Dean said.  
  
"Oh crap." Rinoa muttered, "Please say they have enough sense to send up red sparks like I-"  
  
"Uh, Professor you never actually showed us how to send up red sparks for help you kinda . . . forgot." Lee said softly.  
  
". . . . Shoot." Rinoa muttered.  
  
*  
Malfoy and Hermione had managed to walk a ways in relative peace, as long as Hermione remained several feet behind Malfoy at all times, she would have liked to turn him into a slug, but wanted to get back to Hogwarts alive as well. They walked on in silence for a while until Hermione had a thought, "I think we should go left." She said suddenly.  
  
"Why?" Asked Malfoy.  
  
"Well, if you look ahead a little you can see some glinting . . . like a stone in the light."  
  
"That's nonsense!" Said Malfoy, who had been leading them until then and was not eager to give the leader position to a mudblood like Hermione.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Hermione asked, "I bet you're just leading us in circles!"  
  
"Why you-"  
  
"I don't know about you but I want full marks for this fiasco!" Hermione snapped irritably, and pointed her wand in the direction of the glint of light, "Accio magic stone!" She shouted, sure enough within seconds a large shining emerald-like stone floated into her grasp which she grabbed and placed into her robe pockets.  
  
Malfoy was quick to wipe the impressed-look from his face before she turned around again.  
  
*  
  
Harry's group was doing alright, they were going fairly slowly though and Ron kept worrying aloud how Hermione was doing with Malfoy. "If that jerk so much as-"  
  
"Relax. They have a teacher with them. She'll be fine." Harry assured him again and again, he was a little surprised to see Ron so concerned for Hermione, considering that the two of them seemed to like nothing more than to bicker with each other lately.  
  
"Alright we've found our stone!" Lavender was saying up head.  
  
"Time to find our way back now right?" Ron asked, Squall merely nodded, he looked bored.  
  
Suddenly from behind them Lavender shrieked, Squall and Harry spun around, a large snake had just dropped out of one of the trees and landed on her shoulders. She kept screaming. "Calm down . . ." Squall was saying, "It's only a snake . . ." Could be poisonous, he thought, I have to get it off of her.  
  
Finally she flung the snake at the ground, trembling, and they all watched it slither back towards her. Harry suddenly felt himself moving forwards as though he was drawn towards the snake, "Don't bite her . . . don't bite her . . ." He kept saying softly under his breath as though the words were just pulled out of him.  
  
He didn't notice the alarmed looks Lavender, Ron, Paravati, and even Squall were giving him, quickly Squall stepped in between Lavender, Harry and the snake, "Flipendo!" The snake instantly flew backwards into the forest and out of sight.  
  
For the rest of the way back to the school everyone kept shooting Harry strange, disturbed looks, even Ron, though he had absolutely no idea why.  
  
*  
  
"Look!" Hermione said impatiently, "We have to calm down and get out of here!" It was already sunset and the fall weather meant that it was getting cold fast.  
  
"Incendio." Malfoy muttered and a fire started, he used it to warm his hands, "What do you have in mind, exactly, Granger."  
  
"This," She said, holding her wand out in front of her, "POINT ME!" She commanded and instantly the wand shot in a direction. "That's the way to the school." She said decidedly.  
  
Malfoy got up; he could not hide his amazed expression this time. And she noticed, but chose to say nothing but smile a little smugly herself. 


	20. Chapter Eighteen: The Heir

Harry Potter and the War of Sorceresses  
  
Disclaimer: Owned by JK Rowling and Squaresoft, I might as well put this here since I've added a rather lengthy Author's Note anyway.  
  
A/N: Hi! I'm putting Author's Notes in here again mwhahahaha oh well such is life. Welcome to Chapter 18. I'm also posting the first chapter of a new HP fic I'm starting, and its totally unrelated to this one but it's all about the Marauders so if you're interested it's called "To Live Again" and it really needs input! Oh and would anyone be interested in a side fic about the Marauders and the FF8 characters going to school together, of course I would still continue this one too. Please let me know what you think. Now, back to the fic at hand and its wonderful Reviewers:  
  
Pandora: Thanks for pointing out that mistake heheh yeah I just thought about that Paravati IS in Gryffindor oh and I've been spelling Slytherin wrong all this time too *sniffsniff* curse my mortal mistakes! Heh. As for Hermione and Draco……while I DO like the idea of a Hermione/Draco pairing and I have enjoyed other fanfics with them as a couple I have a different idea for this particular fic. Sorry. But you shall see. And I really hope you don't hate me for it.  
  
Jasmine Black: Thanks for putting a link to my stories on your site, which is a great site btw and I encourage all HP fans to go there esp. if they love the Marauders (but who doesn't?!) - online.net/~jasmine/ is the address for people who don't know it.  
  
Heather: Thanks so much for reading and leaving your wonderful reviews! I always appreciate your input (  
  
Shawn: Thanks (  
  
Strawberries and Blueberries: Thanks (  
  
Calikocat: Don't feel bad I always fall behind reading fics I like too. ( Thanks for reviewing. And Zell should be coming in a few chapters hehheh!  
  
Thanks to everyone for Reviewing it means soooo much!! (  
  
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Chapter Eighteen The Heir  
  
It was the night after the rather eventful practical in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Hermione was still in a bitter mood from having to spend the entire day lost in the forbidden forest with Draco Malfoy, and Harry just finished recounting his own strange experiences when Hermione frowned even further. "Harry don't you get it?"  
  
"Get what?" Harry asked irritably.  
  
"You were talking to the snake!" Ron told him, "It was enough to freak anyone out."  
  
"What do you mean? I was just telling it not to attack that girl." Harry defended himself, but he too was frowning, he knew that he had talked to the snake but he didn't see why everyone was so upset about it.  
  
"It sounded like you were telling it to bite her!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"What are you talking about? Couldn't you hear me?" Harry asked.  
  
"No! You were speaking in snake-talk."  
  
"It's called Parsletongue." Hermione told him, "And Harry it is very rare. Slytherin, the wizard the Slytherin House is named for, could speak it. That's why their symbol is the snake." She continued frowning and seemed like she wanted to say more but thought better of it.  
  
"Oh my god…" Ron gasped; suddenly he thought what she had, "Harry what if YOU'RE SLYTHERIN'S HEIR??"  
  
"What!" Harry gasped, he practically jumped. It was bad enough the entire school had been avoiding him, giving him strange looks and whispering behind his back, he didn't need his best friends thinking he was the descendent of an evil wizard! Or was that what everyone at Hogwarts thought? Was that what they were whispering about?  
  
"Harry, this guy was alive like, thousands of years ago!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
"He's right, Harry you could be the Heir and not even know it." Hermione said sadly.  
  
"That means I somehow released this petrifying monster on the school without even knowing it?" Harry said in disbelief. "How? Why? It can't be!"  
  
Harry looked to his two friends desperately for help but saw only their helpless gazes and shrugs. They could not give him answers. Suddenly the door to the Gryffindor Common Room slid open and Professor Heartilly entered, she looked slightly paler than she usually did and uncharacteristically worried.  
  
"Harry, would you come with me, please. The Headmaster would like to speak with you." She said softly. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances with one another and then looked at Harry, they were all wondering what Dumbledore was thinking . . . did the Headmaster know about the incident in the forest and suspect Harry of being Slytherin's heir?  
  
Harry gulped and pushed his round glasses up his nose nervously but got up from the couch and followed Professor Heartilly through the portrait hole and down the hallway until they came to the stone gargoyle. "Gum drops." She said and the gargoyle twisted around to reveal the set of spiralling stairs that led to the Headmaster's office. "Dumbledore loves Muggle candy…" Rinoa explained as she led Harry up the stairs, he however, did not really care about that at the moment.  
  
When Harry entered the office he was taken aback by how huge and impressive it was. There were rows of bookcases and desks covered in parchment and scrolls. "Wait here, okay?" Rinoa asked and went up the staircase to the second level of the spacious room.  
  
As she left, Harry's eyes fell upon a large red, rather splendid looking bird that was sitting on a perch. Harry went over to him and smiled a little in spite of his worry about the Headmaster suspecting him, the bird seemed comforting; it was just so big and beautiful. He reached a hand towards its large head when it suddenly burst into flames!  
  
Harry caught his breath and jumped backwards, as he watched, horrified, the bird turned into a flaming ball of fire and crumbled to a pile of ashes on its perch. He was still staring at it horrified when Dumbledore walked up with Rinoa and Squall. "What's wrong, Harry?" The wise old man asked kindly.  
  
"Y-You're bird, sir, there was nothing I could do—he—he burned up." Harry stammered.  
  
Dumbledore, to his surprise, chuckled softly and gestured for Harry to come closer to the pedestal. Harry moved towards it and saw to his utter amazement a new baby bird was sitting in the ashes, crying.  
  
"Faux is a Phoenix, Harry, a remarkable bird, when they get to old they burst into flame and our born again in the ashes. Their tears can heal the severest of wounds and they can lift amazing amounts of weight. Truly remarkable." The Headmaster appeared lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the baby bird and did not say anything more for some minutes until Rinoa broke the silence with an intentional cough.  
  
"Hm? Oh of course, yes," Dumbledore said pleasantly rousing himself from his memories and turning to Harry, "Harry, Squall was just in here to tell me about what happened in the Forbidden Forest, of course I already knew . . ."  
  
"Sir! Please I swear I didn't petrify Nafia and I didn't let anything lose in the school!" Harry pleaded.  
  
Dumbledore's kind old eyes twinkled and he smiled at the boy, "Of course you didn't Harry, I never thought that you did." Harry was surprised but breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Sir," Squall said, stepping forwards and gesturing to the others, "I think we should tell him."  
  
"Tell him what, Mr. Leonhart?" The Headmaster asked kindly, but his eyes betrayed the faintest flash of worry that Harry failed to catch.  
  
Squall turned away from them and crossed the room, head lowered, he appeared to be thinking very hard, finally he turned back to the group and shook his head, "Nothing. Forget it."  
  
"Perhaps, Harry, there is something you wish to tell us?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Harry looked at the Headmaster and saw absolute kindness and wisdom, he thought heavily about the heir, about the petrifaction and Dobby the house- elf but he shook his head and before he even knew it the word "No." Was out of his mouth and he walked away from the three adults and left Dumbledore's office.  
  
After Harry left the office, Rinoa turned to her husband with a frown, "What was that about, 'tell him?' Tell him what? You don't mean the prophecy! He's too young, besides--"  
  
Squall frowned and shook his head. "He's clearly worried about something Rinoa."  
  
"The monster loose in Hogwarts!"  
  
"No, there's more to it than that." Squall said but his face was set in its usual expressionless hard exterior and he said no more.  
  
Rinoa put her hands on her lips and bit her lower lip, obviously unhappy with Squall's quietness but she turned to Dumbledore, "Sir what do you think of all this?"  
  
He sighed, "My dear I fear it will grow much worse before it grows any better . . ."  
  
*****  
  
Harry walked through the hallway quickly, it made him nervous to be there by himself, not that he was afraid something was going to attack him, but that he was afraid he would stumble upon some other horrible accident and take the blame for that as well. He did have awfully rotten luck lately, come to think of it. Harry frowned and finally slowed his pace, watching a crowd of spiders scurry across the floor and into a small crack in the wall. He followed them with his eyes and noticed carefully carven snakes engraved on the wall. Harry slowly felt them with his fingertips. Why could he talk to snakes? Was he really the heir of Slytherin? Was Nafia getting hurt somehow his fault?  
  
"Why the hell does this all have to happen to me?" He thought aloud miserably.  
  
"Because that's life." Said a voice behind him, Harry jumped slightly and spun around, to his great surprise, Squall Leonhart was standing there, he wasn't wearing regular wizard robes, but a pair of black jeans and a black leather jacket. He must have changed from when Harry saw him in Dumbledore's office a few minutes ago. Harry also noticed a silver griffin on a chain around his neck. A griffin for Gryffindor, no doubt. For a long moment Squall stood there silently frowning and it really did not seem like he would say anything more, then as though it took an effort for him to socialize with people he began: "Listen, Harry I just wanted to let you know that you really are your father's son, for what it's worth."  
  
". . . You were a friend of my dad's weren't you?" Harry asked.  
  
Squall looked mildly surprised by this and shook his head slightly, "Did Rinoa tell you that? Don't take this the wrong way, but . . .we were never really friends, James and I; he was always breaking rules and getting into trouble. I was more—reserved. I knew him because I was dating his best friend's twin sister, Rinoa. But for all our—differences—I will admit that James was one of the most admirable wizards I've ever known, and he was one of the only others I knew to be able to swing a Gunblade."  
  
"A Gunblade? What's that?" Harry asked.  
  
Squall waved his hand a little and a weapon magically appeared in his grip, it was like a muggle gun on the handle, except that it stretched out into a long blade like a sword with a griffin engraved on the side.  
  
"Wow!" Harry breathed, unable to stop himself. He walked over and examined the Gunblade closely; it was a very deadly looking and impressive weapon. "That's amazing, my dad really used one of these?"  
  
"Yeah." Squall said with a slight shrug, "There were only three students in the entire school back then who could use them. The other was a boy in Slytherin. It doesn't matter, he's dead now." A dark look seemed to cross Squall's face but it passed quickly.  
  
"Do you think I could learn to use something like this?" Harry asked excitedly.  
  
Squall's face seemed tense, as though making conversation took a constant effort for him, but he shrugged, "I wouldn't know. Probably not for a few years, but then, who knows? Dumbledore would probably be happy to have another Gunblade user in Hogwarts, it's considered an honour for a school, though right now the only other student to use one is a girl at Beauxbatons School in France. It'll also help you get a job as an Auror, if you're interested in that line of work."  
  
"Yeah." Harry nodded, "I think it's really cool!"  
  
"It's a lot of hard work." Squall told him seriously.  
  
"Yeah I know." Harry agreed, "But it's an important job." And exciting, he thought but it didn't seem like Squall would be impressed by that so he didn't say it.  
  
Squall however seemed to read his mind, and he smirked slightly, "Yeah, just like James . . ." He said, leaving Harry to return to the Gryffindor dorms in much better moods than he had been in before.  
  
When Squall turned the corner after leaving Harry, however, Rinoa tackled him suddenly in a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey what was that for?" Squall asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I SAW that, you were going out of your way to cheer Harry up, weren't you?" She told him, grinning.  
  
Squall shrugged. "Whatever. The kid has a lot of hardships ahead of him, I think we both know that."  
  
"Still that was awfully nice I mean, for you, Squall!" Rinoa giggled, "I mean you actually talked to him!"  
  
Squall glared at her in annoyance but said nothing, "Anyways, the Christmas Holidays are coming up. I suppose you want to stay here and keep an eye on the school?" He asked.  
  
"Yes," Answered Rinoa, calming down, "We can't take the risk of this thing attacking again . . .and oh my god, Squall, what if the monster isn't all . . . you know what . . . you remember what else sleeps beneath this school . . ." 


End file.
